F is for Feathers, Fairies Flaming Homos
by lilyyuri
Summary: A challenge fic from Dusk and Dawn, featuring Seamus, Oliver and Shakespeare's 'Midsummer night's dream'. More information inside. A tale in eight acts. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it's probably not mine, or else I've become too predictable…

You are all going to be very pleased to know that this story is actually completed, which means no delays in posting! YAY.

This is a challenge fic, presented to me by the lovely twins Dusk and Dawn. This is the gist of it: A love triangle between Seamus, Oliver and Cedric. You can choose the main pairing. Side of adventure. I'm not I sure stuck to the requirements but it was Dusk&Dawn approved and so I hope you like it.

**Plot:** Have any of you seen the movie 'Were the world mine'? If you haven't, please do, it's a really wonderful film. Anyway, I've been hmm, shall we say, a little obsessed with it since I saw it. So after a little consultation with Dusk and Dawn we decided that a little 'Midsummer night's dream' was in order. This is loosely based on the film, but hopefully I managed to throw some original ideas into it.

**Warnings:** There will be some serious Ron bashing in this fic, I don't know, I just never liked that character, even though Rupert Grint did a quite a job at redeeming it... But not enough I guess... Any of you with a Ron fetish, please beware.

There will also be some strong language, and possibly gay sex. We'll see how it goes.

**A/N:** In this story the Dark Lord is no more. You may take a pick at how he was vanquished. In order to stop the house animosity Dumbledore decided to break the house teams, creating mixed teams instead and also stop with the inter-house rivalry for points. As a result most people are getting along just fine- which brings me to another warning- major OOC. Oh, yeah, and everything from GoF onwards- never happened.

After scanning the original Shakespeare's script, several times, I realized that the guys from 'Were the world mine' took the only decent line there. This name came to me while I was driving home listening to 'Pearl Jam' (not that they have anything to do with it, I just really like their music). Not very safe, I know, having being hit with ideas while driving but…

**Beta:** Dusk, who had to work very hard on this because I get my best brain waves around four a.m., and that means grammar- out the window!

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos- **

**Chapter One**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**"Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;  
But wonder on, till truth make all things plain."  
(Prologue, act V, scene I)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

"This is fucking unbelievable, I'm not doing it! This is bollucks! They can't make me!"

Seamus sighed. Ah, the sound of yet another Hogwarts year starting with the disgruntled voice of one Ronald B. Weasley. And to think Seamus had managed to avoid the red menace completely on the train ride over, _and_ had missed the opening feast. But the bliss was over. Because, as they say, nothing good ever lasts.

For the last seven years, wait… make that five years Ron Weasley, the homophobic git, had been constantly bitching and embittering against him simply because of his sexuality. And what made it a whole lot worse was the inescapable fact they'd been forced to share a sleeping space, their dorm room.

It had been almost five solid years of making a show of _not_ showering whenever Seamus was around, _not_ getting dressed whenever he was in the room, and _not_ letting Seamus have the benefit of the doubt and argue that he wasn't some slutty, I-want-to-fuck-every-guy-I-see sort of fag. Ron made it known to all who would listen that he was utterly disgusted by Seamus' orientation.

Weasley was also the one, although he never actually laid a finger on Seamus himself, responsible for nearly every beating Seamus got during his school days. A fact that brought him high on Madame Pomfrey's list of 'Boys I see way too much for my liking', alongside Harry. But these attacks have been made much more bearable with the help of Hermione and her Touch Repelling Charm, which formed a sort of repelling field around him to prevent skin contact. All these reasons only contributed to Seamus' hatred and resentment of the ginger-haired boy.

But this year was going to be different, Seamus decided, if only because it was his last year of schooling and come June he didn't have to lay eyes upon Weasley's ugly face _ever again_! But June was eons away from September and Seamus didn't have high hopes of Ron ever changing his attitude and stop insulting, taunting, harassing and verbally tormenting him, but then again Ron was never too creative with those expletives anyway. No, this year was going to be different because Seamus was different, and not just physically and magically.

For one thing, he was no longer a virgin, and for another, well, he had sex! And that brought him confidence, which he planned on wearing like a shield to deflect anything Weasley and the other narrow-minded homophobes tossed his way this year.

Seamus lowered his book and took a deep breath, bracing himself as the portrait opened and let in an influx of students, all chatting and laughing, still catching up after the long summer. The seventh year students spotted Seamus on the biggest, comfiest sofa closest to the fire and rushed over, happy to finally claim the spot as their own. After seating themselves comfortably in front of the fire they continued their summer stories exchange that was interrupted by the start-of-terms feast's announcements.

"Shey, you missed quite a dinner!" Dean announced as he plopped down on the sofa, giving Seamus just enough time to fold his legs away before they got squashed under his weight. Seamus shrugged,

"I wasn't feeling too well." He offered as a way of explanation, even though that wasn't entirely true. Over the years Seamus had developed a habit of missing out the opening of term feast. It was just his way of having a few quiet moments to himself before another year of hell started for him. He much preferred having the common room to himself for a few hours, reading and nibbling on whatever he had left from the Hogwarts Express sweet trolley. Without everyone staring at him, whispering at him and making rude comments about his preference. Seamus hated the fact that people defined him by his sexual orientation.

"Oh, you're ill Faginan?" Seamus grated his teeth, trying unsuccessfully to block out the voice of Ron Weasley, "That's so sad… And here I thought you were too scared to show your ugly, homo face around." Before Seamus had even time to contemplate ignoring the git, Parvati swooped over and placed a soft hand on his forehead,

"Are you alright, Seamus?" She asked in concern, and Seamus gave her a little smile. "You do look a little pale, doesn't he, Lav?" She called to her best friend. Lavender Brown walked over, running her eyes critically over Seamus,

"Yes, you do. Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey?" She suggested, but Seamus shook his head, somehow he didn't think the old matron would be too pleased at seeing him this early in the year,

"Lavender!" Ron cried out and Seamus had a hard time suppressing a smug smile. Having all these girls fawning over him, especially Ron's girlfriend was a great laugh and basically what made it all bearable, just by seeing how angry it made the ginger git.

"What?" Lavender turned surprised blue eyes at Ron, brushing locks of blond hair from her shoulder, "He's ill. You should let up a bit."

"But he's a fag!" Ron yelled back. Next to Seamus, Dean was making a 'What the fuck?' gesture with his hands, and Seamus shrugged, it was best not to try and understand the way Ron's mind worked, it could give anyone a mental hernia…

"You are such an ass sometimes, Ron!" Lavender snapped and made her way primly to the other side of the room, frowning at her homophobic boyfriend's comment. With Seamus all but forgotten Ron trotted at her heel trying to appease her with his lame apology and explanation. If Seamus hadn't found their antics sickening, it would have been funny…

"I'm fine," He said to Parvati, who still looked oddly at him, "Just one too many cauldron cakes on the train, I guess." He said brightly but she didn't look convinced. That was the problem with having a girl for best friend, they were far too observant for their own good! "So, what did I miss?" He asked brightly, trying to divert attention from his deteriorating health. Harry snorted from the armchair he was sprawled over,

"Dumbledore has officially gone around the bend!" He pronounced darkly. Seamus frowned at him a little,

"Yes, and it only took 400 years…" Dean added, when Hermione lifted her head from the book she was absorbed in,

"Come on, guys. It's not that bad. It could be fun…" She sounded a little unsure of herself as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"So is swimming in the lake in the dead of winter, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna do it!" Harry crossed his arms over his chest, not budging from his original point,

"True, but on this, you don't have a choice." Hermione reminded him with a grim smile. Seamus looked between his friends, feeling nervous about this predicament, what the hell was so bad that had them all bitching and moaning like that?

"What are you guys talking about, what does Harry has to do?" Dean laid a heavy hand on Seamus' knee, looking at his best friend with such intensity that had Seamus practically squirming,

"Not just Harry," He said gravely, "All of us. Including you."

"Gods, what is it?" Seamus could feel the blood draining from his face, and his heart thumping loudly in the silence that fell upon their corner. Dean took a deep breath,

"Act." For a full thirty seconds there was dead silence, until Parvati cracked and let out a small giggle, which broke the damn, causing all four teenagers to burst into hearty laughter. Seamus glared at them, ineffectively, before thumping Dean's shoulder,

"Oh, for fuck's… Dean you total bastard!" He cried, and the others laughed harder, hard enough to cause even Ron and Lavender to lift their eyes from their heavy snogging season on the armchair nearby. "What's so bad about acting anyway?" He asked with a shrug, if that's all that Dumbledore came up with, it couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

"Well, as you know, there are eight magical schools around Europe…" Hermione began her explanation of Dumbledore's new plan,

"If you say so…" Seamus shrugged, and from the looks on the others faces he knew he wasn't the only one who wasn't privy of that knowledge, after all, the only ones he's ever heard of were Beauxbattons and Drumstrang.

"You are all illiterate idiots! Haven't any of you read 'Magical Education throughout Europe'?" She snapped, "Anyway, now that _Voldemort_ is gone," She pronounced the dark lord's name slowly, enjoying the collective shiver that ran through her friends, "Dumbledore decided to promote inter-schooling unity."

"What, like that triwizard tournament?" Hermione snorted in dismissal,

"Gods, no! That's a barbaric tradition, people die in that sort of thing, you know." Harry leaned towards her, looking as serious as he possibly could,

"So, you're all for it then?" The others looked away sniggering, while Hermione fixed her best friend with a glare,

"Funny…" She drawled, "Dumbledore thinks the way to unite the schools and strength the bonds between them is through the theatre and arts."

"Meaning what exactly?" Parvati rolled her eyes, if it was left to Hermione to explain they'll be here all night learning about magical schools in Europe rather than hearing about Dumbledore's plans, she leaned towards her confused Irish friend,

"Meaning we have to put on a play. Each year a different school will choose an author and their works will be acted out by the hosting school." Seamus nodded slowly,

"How would that promote unity?"

"There will be a festival…" Dean said with an eye roll and a tone that indicated exactly what he thought of the idea, "At the end of the school year, where we invite all the other schools seventh year students to watch us perform and mingle."

"Oh, so it's just for the seventh years?" Seamus asked, he hadn't decided whether this was good or bad, but he was sure of one thing, if only the seventh year students were to act, that meant there was a much bigger chance he'd have to perform… A little flock of butterflies took off in his stomach, making him gulp a little.

"Yes," Hermione answered, "Since we're going to be leaving school next year this is the perfect opportunity to meet new people and make connections before we head out to the 'real world'." Seamus rubbed his forehead, wow, that was quite a lot to take in. having to act out a play in front of the entire seventh year student body from all over Europe…

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Harry cried out, straightening in his chair and causing the others to jump up, "Guess who's coming back!"

"Back from where?" Harry waved his hand in dismissal,

"No, back here, to teach!" Seamus looked at his friend's bright eyes and took the bait, knowing that this was what Harry had been waiting for,

"Who?"

"Cedric Diggory! And Oliver Wood!" Seamus felt like his heart was being squeezed tight, making it hard to breathe, the butterflies in his stomach turning to lead and dropping heavily to the pit of it. Oliver Wood… Of all the people Harry could have mentioned Oliver Wood was the last name Seamus expected to hear. It was one thing to admire the handsome Quidditch player a.k.a. sex-on-legs, from afar, have the occasional sex dream about him- alright, more than occasional… In fact, pretty much all of Seamus' favorite fantasies involved the sexy dark haired keeper, moaning Seamus' name with his thick Scottish accent and having Seamus running his hands over those gorgeous Quidditch muscles. But having Oliver here, alive and kicking and ever so close… Seamus wasn't sure if he could handle it. Taking a deep breath he tried to compose himself and drawl in his best bored tone,

"Really?" Dean nodded, sniggering a little, he wasn't fooled by Seamus' attempt of casualness, after all, one can't spend seven years being someone's best friend without knowing a thing or two about them. And Seamus' little crush was something he was all too aware of.

"Yeah, professor McGonagall decided to take a sabbatical and shipped herself off to Greece." Harry explained and Parvati giggled, covering her mouth with her hand,

"Can you imagine her on the beach in a stripy long legged one piece?" She quickly succumbed to her own giggling, spurred by the disgusted noises and snorts of laughter from her friends,

"Oh, Parvati, that was bad!" Dean cried, dramatically placing a hand over his stomach, "You're going to make me lose my dinner!" Seamus was mightily glad he'd missed dinner, the mental image was… Hmm, too much to bear… Once his friends clamed a little, Seamus decided to broach the subject, trying to get the full picture and get some answers along the way,

"So, Wood would be teaching Transfiguration?"

"Nope," Harry replied happily, "Cedric will. Oliver is going to be head of Gryffindor house, Quidditch referee and director of our little play." Oh, brilliant, Seamus thought, not only was Oliver Wood going to be head of Gryffindor house, he was also going to be directing the play, which apparently was mandatory to all seventh years… There was no escaping him…

"Oh, this'll be _so much_ fun…"

"You don't seem too excited." Hermione observed, her shrewd brown eyes boring into Seamus and letting him know she was suspecting he was hiding something from the rest. Seamus never liked that ability of hers, it was downright freaky.

"Well, I hardly know the guy, do I?" He tried to smile, "I've never been into sports…" This sounded feeble even to his own ears. Luckily he was saved by Parvati,

"I think it's great. Oliver Wood is _so_ dreamy! I want to have his babies…" She gushed, and Seamus had to fight a momentary urge to strangle her for even considering laying a finger on _his _man. His virtual man, of course, which would make it a lot harder to explain if he did strangle her…

"If he's going to be directing us the same way he was captaining the Quidditch team back in the day this is going to be sheer hell." Harry observed gravely, still remembering the days under Oliver's captain-age, and not too favorably.

"He can boss me around all he likes…" Parvati was still swooning, while the others rolled their eyes at her,

"You really are determined to make me lose my dinner…" Dean muttered darkly, and ducked just in time to avoid Parvati's slap to his head. Seamus, not wanting to be caught in the middle of their little cat-fight, was curling further to the edge of the sofa,

"Guys, please…" He cried. Dean gave him a cheeky smile while Parvati flipped Dean the bird. Seamus sighed, breeders… "So, what's our play going to be?"

"'A Midsummer night's dream'." Harry answered, and everyone groaned in despair around him. From the corner of the room Ron's voice carried out to them, full of scorn and malice,

"I bet you'd have liked it to be Oscar Wilde…" Seamus didn't even bothered with a fake smile,

"Sure, an Irish author would have been nice but I hear this Shakespeare fellow ain't half bad." He drawled sarcastically, making Ron's eyes narrow further, especially since the others seemed to find it rather funny,

"That's not what I meant, you sodding poo…" Dean straightened up in his seat, sending Ron a death glare,

"Thanks for playing, Ron; go back to your face sucking now!" He snapped. Before Ron had time to respond, Lavender took his face in her hands and brought their lips together again, effectively shutting the man up. The others sat in silence for a while, trying to come up with something to elevate the mood back up after Ron so effectively destroyed it. Seamus stretched out, pulling himself off the sofa and gathering his book,

"Well, that was fun. I think I'll head upstairs now." Dean sent another baleful glare at Ron's direction before he too rose to his feet.

"Yeah, me too. I'm knackered." He declared. Harry quickly jumped from his seat, nodding his assessment and the three boys made their way up to the seventh year dorm on top of the Gryffindor tower. Once inside the room Dean flopped on his bed, rolling onto his side to fixed Harry with his sharp eyes,

"Harry, mate, I know he's your best friend, but what a fucking arse!" Harry lifted his hands,

"I'm with you mate, he's a real tosser sometimes. I'm really sorry, Shey…" Seamus shrugged, sitting on his own bed and folding his legs under him,

"You don't have to apologize; he's the moron, not you." Harry gave him a sad smile, still feeling the need to defend his friend, and at the same time hating Ron for having to do so. "Hey, what's going with… You know who…" Seamus asked with a conspiratory wriggle of his eyebrows. Harry immediately blushed and Dean dropped his head backwards, laughing out loud,

"Gods, he messed that one up quite beautifully." He exclaimed. Seamus looked at Harry with pitying eyes, while Harry did his best to look offended,

"I did not!" He cried, "All I did was say hello!"

"Didn't we agree on the train that you were not going to say anything to her?" Seamus argued. It was clear to everyone who knew that Harry would not be able to keep his word, the man was completely smitten. It was sheer luck _all _he did was say hello…

"It was just hello. I was just being polite." Seamus and Dean exchanged a tell-tall look, and Harry huffed at them, "Oh, bugger off you two. I was just saying hello to Hannah, there's nothing wrong with that."

"No, but you know very well that she'll only reject you more if you keep fawning over her like a bloody stray!" Dean said levelly, now also sitting on his bed.

"Yeah, I mean, we all know the only reason you want her is because she doesn't fall at your feet like every other girl in this place." Seamus added. Harry sighed, why did they always have the same bloody conversation when it came to his fancying Hannah Abbott. It was rather annoying, not to mention, not… well, maybe a little true, but not true enough!

The door opened causing the boys to fall silent and in slipped a ragged looking Neville, who closed the door and leaned against it heavily and let out a hearty sigh.

"Can anyone tell me how the hell did _I_ get chosen to be Head Boy?"

"You're the best Gryffindor has to offer…" Harry supplied with a shrug. Neville sneered playfully,

"Are you using this sort of lines on Hannah too? No wonder she won't give you the time of day…"

Harry's jaw dropped in shock. Spurred by Seamus and Dean's laughter he pounced on Neville, sending the laughing Head Boy to the floor and tackled him with his tickling fingers.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** Ok, that was chapter one. Just to explain a few things. Next time we'll start for real…


	2. Chapter 2

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Two**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**And the youth, mistook by me,  
Pleading for a lover's fee.  
Shall we their fond pageant see?  
Lord, what fools these mortals be!  
(Puck, act III, scene II)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Seamus was nervous. It was hard to tell what made him more nervous, but the butterflies usually fluttering around his stomach on these occasions turned into heavily stomping bears. It was audition day.

It was audition day and all the seventh year students were called to arrive at the Great Hall after lunch, being made to wait in a small room nearby until they were called in to do their bit. Seamus hated this. He hated waiting for the unknown, and he hated having to stand up in front of a crowd and recite words he didn't even understand. All his life he tried to blend in, be as inconspicuous as he could, so that people will let him be, and now he would have to stand up on stage, in front of hundreds! Seamus took a deep breath letting it out slowly, trying to overcome the sudden bout of nausea sweeping over him.

And if that wasn't bad enough, there was Oliver Wood. It was the first time since the beginning of term that Seamus was to be alone with the man and that made him more nervous than anything else really. Especially after the dream he had last night… Oh, gods, not here… Seamus closed his eyes and tried to rid himself of the memory of Oliver's hands running down his torso, his nimble fingers doing things to his naval he knew should be outlawed. Seamus shook his head roughly and tried to come up with a suitable distraction. Think of boring things, he instructed himself, like… vegetables! No! Not vegetables… Those long slim carrots and bulky cucumbers are not going to do the trick.

Seamus sneaked a peek around him, crossing his legs to make sure none of his friends caught his 'little problem', gods this was embarrassing. He'd have to get rid of his blossoming hard-on before he went into his audition because if Oliver saw… Oh, the horror! If Oliver knew he was making the 'Hogwarts fag' lose control he'd rather let Ron and his cronies have him lynched. No no no, the situation would have to be dealt with here and now! Seamus closed his eyes, searching his not-very-helping brain for an image that would erase the ones he was currently enjoying too much. Suddenly Parvati's words of Professor McGonagall from the night of the term start popped into his head, "Can you imagine her on the beach with a stripy long legged one piece?" and suddenly the very same image popped into Seamus' head. The poor Irish lad groaned softly as his erection fled away painfully to seek shelter behind his balls.

"Finnigan." Seamus jumped upright at the sound of his name being called. Looking around him with wide eyes he realized that while he was fighting off his little world of fantasy the room emptied considerably as people were called one by one into the Great Hall for their audition. Now left in the room were only several Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students, all looking bored. Seamus took several cleansing breaths to calm himself down before he stepped to the door. With a sharp, decisive twist of the doorknob he thrust the door open, stepping fully into the room before his courage failed him.

The first thing he saw when he entered the room was Oliver Wood's back to him. Seamus tried, he really really did, but he was only a seventeen years old horny kid faced with the object of his sexual desire, he couldn't help it. He stared.

Doing his best to grasp the last shards of the horrid McGonagall image Seamus knew he was losing the battle and as much as he loved staying there worshiping Oliver's arse in those tight fitting trousers that were simply hugging the contours of that fine piece of flesh he knew he couldn't, shouldn't and would probably get into some kind of trouble if Oliver found out what he was up to. Closing his eyes briefly to center himself Seamus cleared his throat, mentally slapping himself for his folly- stopping a fantasy in the making… No fangirl would ever forgive that!

"Ah, Seamus." Oliver cried out as he turned and Seamus' heart missed a beat at hearing his name rolling off the Scotsman's tongue, "It's been a while."

"Yes…" Seamus breathed out, feeling mortified to the bone at talking, actually talking to Oliver Wood for what felt like the first time ever. "It's nice to have you back, sir." Seamus could feel the person inhabiting the part his brain in charge of flirting running around in little circles screaming in frustration. Oliver's face contorted into a grimace,

"Oh, please! Don't call me sir; it makes me feel so… old." He said with a smile and Seamus nearly melted on the spot,

"Of course…" He muttered hesitantly as Oliver looked at him expectantly,

"O-li-ver." The Scotsman said slowly and inside Seamus' head, the little person- Kyle was stringing pieces of rope together to form a noose. Seamus cleared his throat again, feeling his face burning so hot it nearly made his eyes water,

"Oliver." He breathed out. Gods, it felt good to say the name out loud. In his dreams he'd been saying that name so often, in so many different undertones, but saying it out loud was much much better. He lifted his head, trying to smile at the man before him and their eyes locked. Seamus felt like a deer caught in someone headlights. Oliver's eyes were so much prettier up close than in any of his dreams, hazel colored with flecks of green and gold. He felt like he could simply drown in them for days, he could spend hours admiring the way the light danced off the flecks of gold making Oliver's eyes sparkle. With a start Seamus realized he could get very easily addicted to those eyes and that if Oliver stared at him for one more second he would. Kyle stopped his noose weaving to observe.

"Here," Oliver was the first to break eye contact, handing Seamus a small book. Seamus took it, hoping his hands weren't shaking too badly. "Just open it up and start reading." It took Seamus several seconds to get his eyes to focus on the book's cover and be able to read what it said. It was a copy of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer's night dream'. Which made sense as it was the play they were supposed to put up, and this was an audition! Opening the book on a random page Seamus took several deep breaths, hoping that Oliver would mistake his nervousness for stage fright, which wasn't entirely false, but Seamus preferred to focus his nervousness on Oliver's presence rather than the daunting idea of acting. Inside his head he could hear Kyle rolling on the floor laughing at him. He did his best to ignore him.

"Thou speak'st aright;  
I am that merry wanderer of the night.  
I jest to Oberon and make him smile  
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,  
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:  
And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl,  
In very likeness of a roasted crab,  
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob  
And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale."

He frowned at the words; they didn't make any sense to him, they didn't even really rhyme, and he had a feeling he was failing miserably at reading properly. A part of him was glad, because if he sucked it meant he wouldn't have to perform, but a bigger part of him was hoping to impress Oliver and hating to fail in front of the man. Oliver looked at Seamus, his head cocked to the side for a long moment and Seamus felt like he was going to start squirming any second now. Suddenly Oliver snapped out of his reverie,

"Turn around." Seamus' eyes grew wide,

"W-What?"

"Turn around." Oliver repeated, "I'm having a brain wave as to what your costume would look like, humor me." Seamus hesitated, inside his head Kyle was jumping up and down, screaming at Seamus to comply. He was getting seriously desperate. Seamus slowly turned, trying not to feel too self conscious at the fact that _Oliver Wood was checking out his arse_! It was strictly professional, he told himself, costume fitting, that's all. Kyle had his chin cupped in his palm, giving Seamus an expectant look. Seamus ignored him.

"Ok, this is good." Oliver said, suddenly appearing in front of Seamus, nearly sending the poor Irishman into a heart attack, "Keep reading, stay with Puck." Seamus frowned a little. He reopened the book, rubbing his temple and searching for Puck's words,

"Captain of our fairy band,  
Helena is here at hand;  
And the youth, mistook by me,  
Pleading for a lover's fee.  
Shall we their fond pageant see?  
Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

"Agreed, indeed." Oliver exclaimed happily. Seamus looked at him blankly. Kyle was re-weaving his noose. "Well. I think that'll be all." Oliver said in a breezy tone that had Seamus wishing he'd have laughed, or at least smiled at Oliver's previous words. Damn that Shakespeare and his confusing words combined with Oliver's cuteness conspiring to baffle him so. Handing the book back to Oliver Seamus practically fled the room, feeling his cheeks burning up again with far greater heat than before.

Reaching his common room he was glad to see his friends gathered by the fire, and even gladder to see that Ron Weasley was not among them. Probably off snogging Lavender somewhere. Seamus dropped on the sofa next to Dean, who gave him a curious and amused look,

"So? How did it go?" He asked in a leering tone that told Seamus he wasn't asking about any part that was play related. Kyle rolled his eyes and snorted. Seamus ignored them both,

"Did, did he ask any of you to… turn around?" He asked uncertainly, trying to sound casual and mildly confused, the others exchanged glances,

"He asked me to flip my hair backwards…" Parvati said with a shrug. Dean leaned forwards with a gleeful smirk,

"This must means he likes you…" He simpered. Seamus pounced his laughing best friend, trying to tackle him onto the sofa.

That night Seamus lay in bed, seeing Oliver's eyes in his mind's eye, their gold flecks sparkling with mirth as he looked at Seamus and he felt his heart soaring at the fact Oliver asked none of the others to turn.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

That Friday morning Seamus got up with a smile on his face. It had been a lovely night, and more importantly a very lovely Oliver dream. With a smile on his face and a little skip in his step he made ready for breakfast.

When the Gryffindor students arrived the the Entrance Hall they were blocked by what looked like the entire Hogwarts student body gathering around a large notice board. The students looked anxious, some were angry some happy. Clearly the casting was posted.

Shoving their way to the notice board, Hermione primly ordering several younger students to back off as it wasn't even their play, their bunch finally made it to the list. Each teen was searching for his or hers name of the parchment, some groaning with despair some in delight at seeing their cast.

"Looks like I'm one of the lovers." Harry pronounced in satisfaction, glancing sideways at Hannah who rolled her eyes and stomped into the Great Hall. Around Harry his friends were doing the mental version of slapping their foreheads,

"That's nice Harry," Parvati patted his arm,

"Yeah," Pansy Parkinson simpered, "Too bad it's not the lover Hannah's character is falling for." She pointed the parchment where Harry's name stood besides that of Lysander while Hannah's stood by that of Helena. Harry frowned,

"Well, perhaps I could switch with Draco?" He looked expectantly at the blond Slytherin who was cast as Demitrius. Draco looked a little startled at the offer,

"Um, no thanks. I don't even know who the hell Megan Jones is." He pointed at the name besides that of Hermia. From behind them came a low and angry voice,

"That would be me!" The two boys turned around quickly to face with a seething brunette girl with a Hufflepuff symbol on her robes. Draco flashed her his most charming Malfoy smile, bowing a little,

"Hello…" He said brightly, placing his hand over his heart, "It would be such an honor to fall in love with you… milady." He added for good measure and Harry nodded vigorously by his side. Megan narrowed her eyes at both of them and stormed off. The two boys cringed a little before shrugging the incident off. Hermione was rolling her eyes at her friends' antics as she shoved her way to the notice board, her finger running down the list trying to find her name,

"What?" Hermione shrieked, looking outraged, "This is completely unfair!" She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting fiercely. Harry looked over at the parchment, trying to see what got his best friend so perplexed,

"I thought you'd be happy to play Hypolyta… she was an Amazon queen…" Hermione fixed him with one of her scorching glares that had Harry immediately smiling his most innocent smile at her.

"She's got like three lines in the first act and then she disappears for half the play!" She snapped,

"Never pegged you for a stage diva." Parvati piped and immediately ducked for cover behind Crabbe's broad back when the scorching glare turned to her direction.

"Hey, Shey," Dean cried, trying to break the tension around him, and hopefully appease Hermione enough to keep her wand up her sleeve and not on any of them, "Looks like you're the main fairy." Seamus' eyes widened in confusion, and he looked at the direction Dean was pointing, seeing his name, boldly on the page right on top of the list by that of Puck.

"Oh, no…" He groaned, his breathing becoming faster with each intake, "No, no, no…" He moaned pitifully. Dean rushed to his side, grabbing Seamus by the shoulders and forcing the shorter man to look him in the eye. Without a word he started breathing slowly and deliberately, Seamus doing his best to copy him and relax himself back from the hazards of hyperventilation.

"What's wrong with him?" Draco indicated the two Gryffindors with his head. The other Gryffindors looked at the sight of Dean and Seamus breathing together and answered in unison,

"Stage fright."

By then Seamus had recovered enough to look back at the board and not seeing his own name bleeding, so that he could see other names too, and more importantly, what names did not show up on the parchment,

"How come you didn't get any part?" He practically shrieked, and Dean shrugged,

"I sucked. Majorly." He answered proudly and earned himself and death glare from his best friend, "Oliver said he'd like me to be in charge of painting the settings."

"I didn't do so well either…" Seamus sounded almost broken. He didn't want to be Puck; he didn't want to be anything! This wasn't a midsummer night's dream; this was an end of fall bloody nightmare!

"Yeah, but your arse was the one ogled by Wood. You're the arse fairy!" Dean was laughing loudly at his own joke, while Seamus rolled his eyes and contemplated which hex will deliver his feelings best.

"He's a fairy alright!" Seamus felt the mixture of revulsion and fear coursing through him, his usual reaction to Ron's voice. "What did you do? Blow Wood for the part, or just bended over, you fucking homo?" Before any of his friends managed to jump up to his saving Seamus turned to face Ron, his face as calm as he could make it,

"You know, Weasley, no wonder you got cast as the ass, you really are one." Taking advantage of Ron's stunned face at being answered back Seamus took his leave, practically fleeing into the Great Hall where he was in plain sight of hundreds and more importantly teachers. It took Ron several moments to snap out of his stunned silence and then he turned slowly towards the board, seeing his name right next to that of Bottom.

"WHAT?" He bellowed, his face turning an ugly shade of puce to clash with his hair, "I'll fucking kill Wood! There is no way I'm playing that part!" Turning and shoving his classmates out of the way he turned to the corridor, presumably off to search and kill Wood. As soon as he was out of sight the entire party left by the notice board burst into laughter. All but Pansy who looked saddened and slightly nauseated.

"You can all laugh; none of you has to fall in love with the git!" She pointed at her own name right by that of Titania. The others sent her pitying looks and supporting back rubs as the group made its way into the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I don't know," Hermione said as they crossed the doors, "I think an Irish Puck could be nice."

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** I've made a full cast list if anyone is interested.


	3. Chapter 3

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Three**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**The course of true love never did run smooth**

**(Lysander, act I, scene I)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Despite Seamus' best efforts and Ron's best threats, Oliver refused to budge from his original casting. He did, however, agree to assign Professor Flitwick to work with Seamus on overcoming his stage fright. And so, in addition to everything else he had to do Seamus was meeting with the tiny charms professor a couple of nights every week to try and find the roots of his fear and how to overcome it. So far he wasn't doing very well, but he decided that if worse comes to worse, there was always self medication to get him through the play.

It had been two months now since the that fateful audition day and most of the seventh years students were now familiar enough in their roles that they could do fluent readings together sometimes even without their copies of the play.

The entire seventh year student body was sitting in the Great Hall, on top of the house tables that were shoved to the sides to clear space in the middle. Hannah Abbott and Harry Potter stood in front of them, Hannah with her copy shoved up her sleeve for easy reach and Harry with a besotted look on his face,

"Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?  
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?  
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,  
That I did never, no, nor never can,  
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,  
But you must flout my insufficiency?  
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,  
In such disdainful manner me to woo…" Stopping her speech Hannah grimaced, "Gods, this character is so annoying!" She cried, causing her fellow students to snicker, spurring her on, "First she bitches about Hermia getting all the guys, and then when they finally fall for her, she still bitches because she doesn't believe they really love her. She's unbelievable!"

"She's spirited and perfect…" Harry sighed, the entire room, Oliver included rolled their eyes. Well, at least Harry won't have to work too hard pretending he'd fallen for the character of Helena. Hannah opened her mouth to respond to Harry, but Oliver was taking no chances,

"Alright, I think that will be all for today!" He declared and the students started shuffling their books and bags around, getting ready to leave. "Seamus, stay behind for a moment." Oliver called and Seamus' head snapped up in shock. He wasn't ready to talk to Oliver, not alone. He desperately wished Dean was there to bail him, or at least stay with him and make sure he did not make a complete fool of himself but Dean was not part of the cast and therefore excused from readings and Harry… Well, not much chance of help from him, not while Hannah was still in the room. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the saliva in his mouth, Seamus gathered himself up and started making his way rigidly towards Oliver.

"How are you coming along with your lines?" Oliver's smile could have melted icebergs, Seamus thought, it was doing a wonderful job on his heart. Raking his hand through his hair Seamus managed to shrug,

"Fine I guess. I don't really understand half of it though." Oliver didn't seem too shocked or upset by that,

"It'll come to you. In one way or another." Which Seamus supposed was Oliver's way of saying 'That crackpot Dumbledore screwed us all with this stupid idea'. "How are you doing with Professor Flitwick? Is he helping you at all?"

"I don't know. I'm still not ready to go up on stage if that's what you mean." Oliver smiled again, but this time Seamus decided it was a more malicious smile, telling him that only death or serious maiming will free him from his role. But still his heart melted.

"Don't worry, it won't be that bad. Besides, facing one's fears is always a good thing. And we cannot have a Gryffindor, of all people not facing his fear bravely, now can we?" For the first time in the last seven years Seamus wished he was a Hufflepuff- nobody expected them to face their fears bravely! Before he could decided whether he wished to shrug, scold or roll his eyes Oliver clapped him friendly on the shoulder and turned away. Seamus' heart gave a leap at the touch, casual as it was, and felt his shoulder burning at the point of impact, oh good gods Oliver Wood had just touched him!

Seamus waited until the door closed behind Oliver's back and he was left alone to swoon with a goofy smile. Sure, it wasn't a lover's touch, or anything anyone would call even half way romantic, as Kyle sneered at him from the depth of his mind, but it was contact, Seamus could still feel it, hot and pulsing on his shoulder. Squaring his shoulders and lifting his head high Seamus bravely ignored Kyle's taunting and decided to make his move. He was going to talk to Oliver. Properly. In Oliver's room. And if that led to something more… Well, one could only hope.

Walking down the halls of Hogwarts towards Oliver rooms Seamus found he was practically skipping and forced himself to stop. It was embarrassing. On the way over he was contemplating with himself what he would say to Oliver. Technically the only plausible reason he had to go talk to Oliver was the play, but they kinda worked all that needed working during their short conversation earlier, besides, Oliver wasn't likely to believe if Seamus took a sudden active interest in a role he didn't even want to play. Winging it wasn't a very good idea either as Seamus tended to clam up whenever Oliver was around him.

Rounding a corner Seamus discovered himself standing in the corridor where Oliver's room was. Stopping dead on his tracks he started to panic, suddenly doubting the wisdom of his plan. The sound of footsteps snapped Seamus out of his daze and he instinctively side-stepped around the corner and out of view of Oliver's door. He wasn't sure why he was hiding, but at the same time he didn't really felt like getting caught standing and staring at his young professor's door. The sound of footfalls was nearing, until it stopped halfway through to Seamus' corner, presumably in front of Oliver's door, Seamus surmised without being able to see. A knock on the door confirmed Seamus' suspicions and he cast a quick notice-me-not spell on himself, unable to stave his curiosity any longer.

"Cedric." Seamus was quite stunned to find the dashing Transfiguration teacher standing in the doorway of his wet fantasy. Oliver only looked mildly surprised to see the man there. Leaning against the door-jamb and displaying his lithe body Cedric positively leered at Oliver. Seamus narrowed his eyes, Transfiguration suddenly becoming his least favorite subject! How dare he? How dare Professor Diggory _leer_ like that at the man of Seamus' dreams?

"Oliver…" And that smoky voice… That should have been Seamus' smoky tones calling out Oliver's name like that! Seamus rubbed his forehead, trying to compose himself lest he did something colossally stupid. Returning his eyes to the pair he was just in time to see Oliver pulling Cedric into a heated kiss, backing up and pulling the other man after him into the room. The sound of the door slamming brought Seamus back to the reality and he snapped his jaw closed. No way! No bloody way! Turning away from the closed door he slid silently down the wall to rest in the miserable heap on the floor. How could he have been so blind? And stupid? Someone like Oliver-I-put-the-S-in-Sexy-and-the-exy-too-Wood isn't likely to stay alone for long, and who better to warm his bed than Cedric-drop-dead-gorgeous-and-don't-I-know-it-Diggory? What was a lowly insignificant little twat like Seamus going to offer Oliver?

Seamus picked himself up from the floor feeling like he'd rather throw himself off the Astronomy tower, or perhaps a little drowning in the lake was better to express his feelings. Trudging through the halls he made his way back to the Gryffindor tower, his entire will to live spirited away.

Sitting on his bed Seamus had real trouble chasing away the image of Oliver and Cedric kissing, it was as if the picture had etched itself permanently to the inside of his eyelids and that just gave Seamus another reason to hate Cedric for ruining his perfect dream. Seamus fell back on the pillows, staring sadly at the canopy of his four poster bed. Well, no wonder Oliver went for Cedric Diggory, just look at the man, he's sex on legs and anyone would be a fool to turn him out of their beds… What with his messy dark hair that just screams 'I just had the best shag of my life', and his eyes that could go from innocent to devilish in mere seconds, those could turn any man gay and make any poor female mad.

And his lips… Seamus yanked at his hair hard to stop that image from cropping up again, Cedric with his cherry luscious lips all over Oliver… Cedric was someone Seamus could easily see in one of his sexual fantasies, had the man not stole his ultimate one. And now he was there, with Oliver, probably having wild, amazing sex, before planning their future together and laughing at Seamus for being such an idiot for thinking he could ever be important enough to gain Oliver's attention let alone affection. Seamus really hated himself at that moment. Wishing he'd be miles and miles away from Hogwarts, preferably on some beach with coconut trees and white sand surrounded by dozens of hot, gorgeous males with thick muscles and oiled skin that was just gleaming under the sun and were all falling over themselves trying to please him and only him…

Feeling particularly masochistic Seamus conjured a mirror, propping himself on the pillows and placing the mirror against his turned up knees. He watched himself critically, trying to dissect his face into different parts and figure what Oliver might find repulsive in them. First, there was the hair… Although it started out as sandy blond his hair has darkened much since his first year and has now settled for brown, plain boring dark brown. It wasn't even cut interestingly… and if he tried to mess it up a little, it didn't look anything like Cedric's 'shagged hair' it looked more like Harry's 'I've been electrocuted, repeatedly…' mop.

His eyes. Well, if he was forced to be kind to himself, Seamus had to admit his eyes were his best feature. They were big and smoky blue in color, and they actually looked darker because of his thick eyelashes. Funny how he never noticed just how thick those damn things were! It was like he was wearing mascara 24/7. And they were a little curly at the ends… Oh, good gods, he had girl's eyelashes! And he didn't even have to work for them, not like he knew Parvati and the rest of the girls did. Seamus wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing. It certainly made any ideas of looking manly and macho fly out the window… moving on!

Nose, well, not much to say here. It was straight, and relatively small, which was a good thing. At least no one paid any particular attention to it. His mouth was nice too, he supposed, full lips, pale red, so that they had color but it didn't look like he was wearing lipstick, which, combined with his eyes was a damn lucky thing otherwise he'd look like a girl altogether. The dimple on his right cheek was nice too, made him look cute and youthful. Though, at seventeen years old, looking youthful probably meant you look twelve…

But all of this didn't matter, Seamus thought in disdain, not when your entire face was sprinkled with freckles. Gods, he hated those freckles, each and every bloody one of them. They were all over the place! Sometimes Seamus could have sworn they were multiplying during the night when he was asleep, the little buggers!

"What's up mate?" Seamus jumped up in surprise, dropping the mirror heavily on his stomach. Vanishing the glass he looked up to see Dean standing there with a bright smile. Seamus narrowed his eyes at him, _now_ he shows up? Wait… _now_ he shows up, and that means support, and a shoulder to cry on! Seamus' face quickly fell into a fierce pout, one that had Dean rolling his eyes and sitting down on the bed, shoving Seamus' legs aside, "What did you do?" He asked in 'rolling my eyes at you you silly person' kind of voice,

"I didn't do anything." Seamus muttered, "That's the whole problem." Dean arranged himself comfortably on the bed, this was an Oliver thing, and those things tended to take a while. Dean tried to be a good friend, he really did, but he couldn't understand his friends' single mindedness when it came to those they fancied. But at least Seamus had been subtle about his crush on Oliver, not like Harry who was the laughing stock of the entire school in his pursuit of Hannah.

"What did he do?" Seamus pouted again, gathering his knees to him,

"He was kissing someone else…" Dean closed his eyes briefly, trying to compose himself. He was trying to be a supportive best friend, but really that was a little too much, the way Seamus made it sound like the end of the world. Dean often wondered if Seamus' tendency to be so emotional about these things came from his sexual orientation or just because it was Seamus' nature.

"I'm sorry." For a long moment the two sat in silence, each trying to get the other to be the first to ask the inevitable. It was Dean, as per usual, who cracked first, "Who was it?"

"Professor Diggory…" Seamus dropped the syllables off his tongue as if they were poisonous and would contaminate him if he dwelled on them. Dean sighed; it would have been much easier if it had been some ugly guy he could trash, but Cedric Diggory…

"You gotta admit, he's kinda hot…" He said carefully, his hand poised over his wand in case Seamus decided to take out his frustration on him.

"Not when he's kissing my future husband and father of our three adopted Asian children!" Seamus snapped and Dean relaxed again. Clearly the situation was manageable.

"I thought it was a little country cottage and _two_ adopted Asian children." Seamus shrugged,

"I decided to upgrade to a small villa and I figured that with the extra space we could adopt another one." Dean bit his lip trying not to laugh,

"I see. Sounds… ideal." Seamus snorted, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders further,

"Yeah well, fat load of good that is… he's probably shagging _Professor Diggory_ as we speak." Dean shuddered. It was one thing to know that your best mate was gay, and it was hard enough trying not to imagine _him_ having any sort of sex but it was another thing trying not to imagine other people having gay sex…

"Ew! Bad mental image!" He cried, and Seamus gave him a small smile. It was fun, in a small, morbid and probably not at all healthy way to gross out his friend. But soon enough he slumped back into his dark mood and Dean decided to pull out the heavy guns, "Hey, how about we sneak into the kitchens for a little pick-me-up of chocolate and cookies?" Seamus glared at him,

"Please, I'm depressed, not a girl!" He cried, giving the unimpressed Dean a haughty look, "I do not need to sublimate my feelings with chocolate." He paused to think for a moment, "A pick-me-up of _ice-cream_ and cookies." Dean laughed,

"Ah, yes, the manly way." He said as he rose from the bed, pulling Seamus with him, and heading towards the door. The two descended the spiral staircase into common room which was full at this time of evening and headed out of the portrait. Along the way Dean tried to decide what flavor ice cream he wanted most, the choices seemed endless because the house elves provided them with whatever they'd ask for. He never knew if it was their magic or did they just keep stocks of ice-cream to rival with Florian Fortescue's. "I think… I'm going to get… Banana and pistachios." He declared, and Seamus stuck out his tongue in disdain, "What? What's wrong with pistachios ice-cream?"

"For one thing, it's green."

"So?" Seamus shook his head sadly, his expression saying that his explanation should have been enough for Dean, "What are you getting then?" The dark skinned boy challenged. Seamus thought about for a moment,

"I think I'm in the mood for…" Dean rolled his eyes, he knew what was coming, and so he joined Seamus in saying it out loud, "Chocolate Fudge ice-cream with a side of brownies." Seamus looked at his friend who looked bored, and stuck out his tongue,

"Gods, you're so predictable." Dean complained loudly, only to receive a shove.

"I'm a creature of habit." Seamus said smartly and Dean snorted,

"So long as you don't have to 'sublimate your feelings with chocolate'." Seamus shoved him again, but this time Dean was prepared and returned it, the two sniggering at each other.

"At least mine isn't green!"

"Give it up man! Green rocks!"

The two continued their merry banter all the way down to the kitchens. And even if their little trip didn't solve anything, at least with the generous help of chocolate fudge ice-cream and brownies everything seems much less daunting.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** I know my description of Seamus doesn't really correlate with the one in the original books, but I like mine better so…


	4. Chapter 4

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**A/N: **I just want to explain that Dumbledore, in the spirit of unity and all had decided to stop the inter-house competition and instead individual students are awarded points. He also dismembered the house Quidditch teams and made new mixed ones. So now Hogwarts has 8 Quidditch teams and their own little league and so each student can follow any team they wish based on who's playing there and not house loyalties.

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Four**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;  
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind:  
(Helena, act I, scene I)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Seamus could feel his eyes drooping shut and blinked hard to keep them open. This was utterly pathetic! He was only in the book collecting stage, he hadn't even begun writing his potions essay and already he was falling asleep…

Gods, he hated potions, and Snape, and doing homework on a Saturday night… but he had no choice. It wasn't like he could postpone it till tomorrow… No, because tomorrow was the 'match of the season'- Not that Seamus was such an avid sports fan, in fact, he hated every form of organized sport. All that shouting, and groaning and panting- and that was just the audience!

But tomorrow the Dragons led by the fierce and youngest-seeker-in-over-a-century Harry J. Potter were about to fly against The Phoenixes led by the courageous and not-playing-entirely-fair-but-no-one-was-able-to-prove-that-so-far Draco A. Malfoy. And since both were friends of Seamus he couldn't just give it a miss, no matter how boring he found Quidditch to be because then neither would ever talk to him ever again. The question of who to cheer for was moot, he never did anyway.

And so, instead of hanging around the common room, probably listening to Hermione going on and on and on about how important it is to get your homework done on time he was here, trying to do just that. Damn, this girl was rubbing off on everyone! Why couldn't she have been sorted into Ravenclaw?

Adding another book to his growing pile he sighed, his life sucked, majorly! Not only was he in the library doing an assignment for his most hated professor, but his love life sucked as well! He was never going to get Oliver now, not when he had to compete with Diggory… Seamus would have liked to think that he was backing down gracefully but even he knew it was stupid when Oliver didn't even know he was up for grabs in the first place.

"Finnigan!" A voice barked behind him and Seamus had to fight an involuntary flinch, his usual reaction to Weasleys. Well, to be honest it wasn't all Weasleys that made his skin crawl like there were slimy slugs covering every inch of it; it was just the youngest two. He turned around slowly, fixing the Weasley wench with a cold stare.

"What do you want?" The petite redhead bristled, her brown eyes flaring with anger,

"Don't you talk to me like that you filth!" She snapped and Seamus had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Was she fucking kidding him? "I know what you're up to!" Seamus briefly contemplated answering her, but his previous dealings with her had taught him he didn't really have to say a word, she usually filled in the blanks on her own. She was one little chatterbox, too bad she never had anything nice or remotely interesting to say. "I know you had something to do with Ron getting stuck with the ass's part! You slept with Wood to make sure it happened!"

Seamus was quite speechless. He didn't really mind the profanity or the grudges she held against him from whatever reason but to be accused of fixing the casting? By sleeping with Oliver? After what he saw? That was plain mean!

"You think I slept with Oliver just to screw Ron over?" This was stretching it thin, even for her… And to think… If he had his wicked way with Oliver- he would _never, ever not in a gazillion years_ think of anything _remotely_ Weasley related! This was preposterous!

"You bent over for him to get _your_ part, what's bending over a second time for you?" Right… Seamus shook his head, that girl was sad! And frankly, rather annoying and he had better things to do, or at least, things he actually needed to do, and talking to this despicable girl wasn't one of them.

"Whatever. Are you done?" He snapped, glaring at Ginny, trying to will her to go away.

"I'm watching you, Finnigan, don't think that this is over!" She hissed at him before spinning on her heel and striding away from him. Seamus had to fight the urge to stick his tongue after her retreating back. Hexing her was beneath him. Well, not really but knowing who her brother was he decided to give it a miss. He grabbed another book from the shelf, not really watching the title in his anger and strode over to the nearest table, dropping his book-load with a loud thud, earning himself a reproaching glare from Madame Pince.

After staring at the book stack he had brought with him for five solid minutes, Seamus sighed and started searching between them the ones whose titles sounded most promising for his essay. He raised a book, looking at it curiously, it's title read "Love potions, how to make that special someone love you back." Ok, that one was definitely _not_ in the curriculum for seventh year potions... Cursing Ginny Weasley for messing up with his book search, Seamus was about to get up and return the book to its shelf. But instead he found himself staring at the title and worrying his bottom lip. Finally curiosity got the better of him; and Seamus opened the book and started leafing through it. Unlike the promising title the book had very little on the subject of concocting a love potion and all about the history and dangers of them.

This was no use, Seamus thought, besides, he never actually considered making a love potion to draw Oliver to him, for one thing, he was rubbish at potions and was more likely to poison the poor man than causing him to fall madly in love with Seamus. Seamus was about to close to book and return to his mind numbing essay when his eyes fell on a curious passage which was entitled- "Male Veela feathers". Looking around him to make sure no-ones attention was on him he began to read,

"For centuries scientists were baffled by the idea of Veela mating. Female Veela, though sporting the form of a human female (apart from their tendency to form into a giant bird of prey when angry) didn't seem to choose human males as their mates very often, which raised the question- where are the Male Veela?

It was the Austrian researcher, Ludwig Klut, who was the first to discover the existence of Male Veela back in the late 19th century. He tracked down and found a Male Veela, who was injured and therefore could not escape, and brought him back to his laboratory to be research. The Veela soon died of a broken heart due to his imprisonment but not before Klut found some interesting facts on the species.

Male Veela retain their wings throughout their lives, unlike the female of the species. This trait, combined with their ethereal beauty and rarity have caused muggles who were fortunate to spot a Male Veela believe they were angels. Wizards, knowing better of course, have tried to locate and capture Male Veela for centuries, hoping to use their magical powers to their advantages.

Contrary to popular belief, Veela blood does not hold any magical powers and is virtually useless in potions, unlike blood of other magical creatures. Their hair and nails hold no more magic than that of wizards and in fact the only magical part of a Male Veela's body is their wings. More precisely, their feathers.

Male Veela feathers, and only those of the male, contain a large amount of a substance known as Kluten, thusly named after its finder, Professor Klut. Kluten, or klutenium is a compound which can act as a very powerful aphrodisiac. In fact, in his studies, Professor Klut discovered that one single Male Veela feather can cause dozens to fall in love. It only takes one brush of the feather on the desired man or woman's nasal cavities and as soon as they inhale the Klutenium into their system they instantly fall for the first person they see- which of course doesn't have to be the person holding the feather. Because of that fact usage of Male Veela feathers was soon banned, as it not only brought a decrease in the number of individuals of the species but also an influx of unwanted desires. This law has been set in the beginning of the 20th century when the entire Veela species were declared endangered and therefore highly protected.

Humans who happen to engage in sexual contact with Veela of either gender will succumb to forgetfulness upon consummation. As Veela turned into wood dwelling creatures as a protective measure if a human happens upon their residence they will do all within their powers to seduce said human and cause them to forget their purpose and virtually everything about their homeland and lives. More often than not those poor souls will end up lost in the forest unable to find their way out and eventually perish.

"Male Veela, though solitaire in nature, had gradually learned to form colonies for better protection, usually in remote and heavily wooded magical areas. As the Female Veela are rarely interested in sex in general and only perform it for means of procreation the males have learned to satisfy their needs amongst themselves. They venture out of their safe colonies only around the mating season- which takes place every two years in the fall and seek out potential female mates. Once the copulation is complete the male return to their home and the female are left to raise the youngsters in their own colonies, known as 'Nurseries' aided by the other females.

The largest Male Veela colony known to the magical world is based in France, deep in the forests near the Beauxbattons Academy. There are several known other colonies around the European continent but their location is kept a secret by the Office of Magical Creatures in their respective lands. Other large groupings can be found on the Island of Prince Edward in Canada and on the northern island of New Zealand. Solitary males are known to exist still but naturally their whereabouts are unknown."

The page ended and Seamus closed the book with a loud thump, his mind overwhelmed with the possibilities, a Male Veela feather… That was just… Brilliant! So simple, so… ingenious! It didn't require any hard to come by potion ingredients so he didn't have to try and sneak into Snape's store room, it didn't require any potion brewing skills, which was a good thing on its own because Seamus was pants at this and he doubted any of his friends who could brew a decent potion would want to make a love potion for him.

Besides, if this was true and Male Veela feathers were really capable of making one fall in love he could use them to help others, mainly- Harry, whose obsession with Hannah Abbot has long crossed into the realm of acute embarrassment, especially to those who watched from the side.

The only problem with the Veela feathers was how to get to France and get his hands on one…

It was time to go and ask advice and equipment from his friend, and more importantly the man who managed to break every single rule in the book of Hogwarts- Harry Potter.

"Harry!" Seamus burst into his dormitory room, "Harry!" The dark head popped from behind their bathroom door,

"What?" He cried, clearly vexed at being interrupted in whatever he was doing. But upon seeing the look on Seamus' face, Harry stepped fully into the room, a shiver of excitement running down his spine at the prospect of an adventure.

"I need to borrow your invisibility cloak!" Harry crossed his arms over his chest,

"Where are you going?" He asked with a smile, possibilities running through his head,

"France." Seamus deadpanned and Harry deflated. He was quite sure Seamus would say something along the lines of 'sneaking into Oliver's room and wait for him naked on the bed' or 'going to plant something smelly in Snape's office', France didn't exactly go into his range of ideas.

"May I ask why do you want to go to France, with my invisibility cloak?"

"It's a secret…" Seamus was wriggling his fingers, hoping to get out of this conversation with an invisibility cloak and without harming or being harmed by his friend,

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Harry asked suspiciously,

"Which one will be more likely to get me the cloak?" Seamus was looking either really guilty or very constipated, Harry wasn't entirely sure,

"Neither!" He cried, throwing his arms in the air and rubbing his forehead, "You're out of your bloody mind!" Stopping on his tracks he paused for a second, his face breaking into a small grin as if he finally figured out what was really going on, "If you want Oliver why don't you just wait for him in his room and confess when he shows up." Seamus looked up in surprise, was he really _that _transparent?

"Yeah… I remember that didn't go very well for you… Perhaps Hannah wouldn't have freaked out and hexed you so if you had just kept your cloths on…" He said nastily, mostly to cover for his own uneasiness at Harry of all people reading him like an open book.

"Ha ha! Don't be funny; this isn't about me and my less than orthodox methods of seducing girls this is about you trying to sneak off to another country to avoid the shame of watching Oliver with Cedric!" Seamus' eyes opened impossibly wide- fuck! Everyone knew about Oliver and Cedric being together? And no one thought of warning him sooner? Some friends he's got! "I mean, how are you even going to get to France in the first place?" The question caught Seamus a little by surprise, how _was_ he going to get to France?

"I could… I guess…" He mumbled, realizing for the first time that night that once again his Gryffindor nature had prevailed and he was rushing into the situation blindly and without a plan.

"Ha!" Harry called triumphantly, a smug Hermione like smile on his face, "See, you don't even know how you're going to execute step one of your master plan. Even I know better than that! Look Shay, just forget about it- you're not getting anywhere near France in the foreseeable future." He patted Seamus' hand sympathetically as the enthusiasm drained from Seamus system and winded out the Irish boy,

"Great…"

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** The way I see it the Veela have a social structure that is similar to that of elephants. The females form a herd, led by the oldest female (the matron) and the males roam around solitary, and sometimes form loose groups.

The male Veela groups are tighter together and usually when they form one they stick with it and not only for the mating season.


	5. Chapter 5

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Five**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**But I will not stir from this place, do what they can:**

**I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear  
I am not afraid.  
(Bottom, act III, scene I)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Ever since his little chat with Harry Seamus was upset. The more he thought of it, the more he convinced himself that getting a hold of a Veela feather was the only way to get Oliver to be his, especially when he saw how well the Scotsman and Seamus' new nemesis Cedric I'd-like-to-poke-his-eyes-out-and-scratch-his-face-beyond-recognition Diggory were getting along. Their little chats at the high table during meals, their smiles and jokes were stabbing like knives into Seamus' heart, making the food in his mouth taste bitter and the drink in his goblet sour.

The idea of a Veela feather took such hold in his brain that it was hard to concentrate on anything else, especially schoolwork. Seamus was constantly trying to think of ways to get to France, somehow convincing himself that once he was on the continent everything will work itself out for the best. He refused to contemplate the fact that even if he did manage to get to the continent unnoticed he still had to go look for a magical school he had no idea of its location and then wander into the forest around it- which was more than likely swarming with magical creatures as Hogwarts Forbidden Forest was, not all as friendly as Hagrid's choice of pets. And then, if he did by some miracle accomplish all this he'd still have to convince a male Veela to give him a feather! Not to mention that all of this would have to be accomplished in a single night!

But for now Seamus was concentrating on things one at the time, getting to France was the most important thing. So far he's decided that he'll have to make his way to London, preferably via the Knight Bus and see if he could get an international port-key over the channel. The muggle train could work as well- he did have a few bobs stashed away so he could probably afford it. But since Harry refused to give Seamus his invisibility cloak things were made ten times harder as he couldn't just stroll out of the castle without an explanation to anyone.

As much as Seamus wished he could blame Harry for hindering his plans by his refusal to help he couldn't. Especially not after the Valentine's Day fiasco. While Seamus was readying himself for a day of pure torture- watching Oliver and Cedric and imagining how they would celebrate the day of lovers, it was Harry whose had the dubious honor of being put through real hell and all thanks to his so-called best friend.

From some reason Ron Weasley decided it would be an enormous gag to slip Harry the twins' latest creation. It was something they developed especially for Valentine's Day, a limited edition that so far was spreading like wildfire. To the onlooker it was a simple innocent looking heart-shaped hard candy, but of course, nothing innocent ever came out of George and Fred Weasley's shop and the 'Verinade' as they called it was as far from being innocent as Snape was from being nice.

Once Harry put the candy in his mouth, mistaking it for the other heart shaped candies the elves had put out for the day, he rose from his seat, a glazed imperius-like look in his eyes, climbed over the table and- horrors of horrors, started to sing! But it wasn't the singing that was bad, in fact, as it turned out the Boy-Who-Lived had a rather nice singing voice, it was _what_ he was singing. And what he was singing was all the lewd things he was going to do to poor Hannah if she only consented to be his lover, _in detail_. As soon as Harry realized what he was singing he clamped both his hands over his mouth, unable to stop. With tears of shame forming in his eyes he jumped off the table and ran out of the Great Hall.

A deathly silence followed his departure, broken only by the loud barks of laugher coming from Ron and some of his cronies. Hannah sat at the Hufflepuff table, completely frozen, her face as red as a ripe tomato, unable to even run away. The entire hall was looking at Ron with disgust, as the boy nearly fell off the bench gasping for air. The first to recover from the shock was Hermione who rose slowly from her seat, shaking with suppressed rage and marched over to her friend, balling her hand into a fist and swinging her arm back to land a mean right hook square on Ron's nose. The redhead did fall off the bench after that, whimpering and grabbing his bloodied face in agony. On the other side of the room Draco Malfoy involuntarily cringed in sympathy.

Following the incident Harry refused to come down to meals for nearly a week and only agreed to come to class because of the dangerous gleam in Hermione's eye and the sight of Ron's face. If Ron had hoped to raise his popularity with that little stunt he soon discovered he got the very short end of the stick. Almost the entire school shifted their sympathy and loyalty to Harry, leaving Ron virtually alone. The Gryffindor house as a whole, save Ginny Weasley was not speaking to Ron, not even his own girlfriend. And to furthermore rain on Ron's parade, as soon as the twins got wind of what had happened to Harry they canned their invention, refusing to produce or sell any more 'Verinade' candies.

Seamus was unable to blame Harry for his own misfortune because clearly Harry was in a much worse state. In fact, for a whole week Seamus had all but forgotten his plan to go to France in favor of helping poor Harry recover his nerves and self esteem.

That Monday after lunch all the 7th year Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered near Hagrid's hut for their class of Care of Magical Creatures. The Gryffindors were forming some sort of protective barrier around Harry, making sure Ron didn't go anywhere near him, and shielding him from any unfriendly eyes, though if anything, the incident only made the Slytherins more sympathetic to Harry, since hating a Weasley was much more fun.

"Right!" Hargrid's voice boomed over the students heads, as the half-giant rubbed his hands together, clearly excited at the class plans for the day, "Today we gonna go inta the forest to look fer unicorns!" Almost every student's eye opened wide, not really sure if their teacher was taking the micky on them. Going into the Forbidden Forest? Like, _inside_? "I'll split ya up in pairs and you'll go inside. Nobody is to touch any unicorn, of course, just observe them in their natural habitat. If ya get inta trouble just come and get me, I'll be round."

Seamus only listened long enough to discover he'd been paired with Neville and that Harry was not paired with Ron. Then he let his mind wonder again, trying to barricade himself in the denial of the idea of having to go into the Forbidden Forest.

"Now, don't forget, unicorns are very shy and won't come out unless ya're really quiet and respectful. Good luck!" With that the whole student body grumbled as they turned to make their way to the forest's first line of trees.

Seamus followed Neville who was chatting excitedly about the prospect of seeing a unicorn. Seamus couldn't be bothered really. Not that he disliked unicorns, I mean, who could dislike something like that, but he was rather indifferent about them and the idea of going into the Forbidden Forest was not his idea of fun. From the depth of his mind he could hear Kyle sneering- taunting him with the reminder that if he ever did manage to go to France this is exactly what he'd have to do there. In the darkness no less. Seamus ignored him.

They walked for what seemed like hours, the other students all branched out in different directions leaving them alone. Suddenly a loud snap of dry wood and a cry of pain brought Seamus back to reality. He looked around him to see Neville lying awkwardly on his side, grabbing his right leg and moaning in pain,

"Shite, what the hell happened to you?" Seamus asked as he knelt beside his friend, trying to reach for his leg only to have his hand swatted away by the whimpering boy,

"I tripped, gods, I think I've sprained my ankle…" Neville moaned pitifully. Seamus chewed on his bottom lip, looking around him and trying to decide what to do next. "You need to go back and call for help, leave me here, Shay and don't look back…" Neville whispered harshly and bravely, causing Seamus to raise an eyebrow at him,

"Nev, you sprained your ankle, not get hit by a hand grenade in the trenches…" He muttered and ignored the dirty look Neville was throwing his way. Standing up he gazed all around him, looking more and more confused as he did so,

"Erm, which way we came again?" Neville, who by now pulled himself to lie comfortably against the very tree trunk that caused his injury, rolled his eyes,

"That way." He said dryly and pointed west. Seamus smiled sheepishly in thanks and started making his way there. He managed fairly well for about three minutes before he reached a fork in the path. Cursing his bad luck Seamus stood there, muttering darkly under his breath and blaming Hagrid's over enthusiasm and Neville for being a complete klutz of his predicament. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He was a city boy, born and raised on the streets of Dublin; he knew diddly squat of forests and shit. For the love of Merlin, all the bloody trees looked the same to him! Shaking his head and cursing again Seamus did the only thing he could think of, eeny-meeny-miny-moe…

Wondering aimlessly through the forest and mentally arguing about directions with Kyle, Seamus decided was one of the most pointless, not to mention idiotic things he's ever done in his life, and being a reckless Gryffindor and friends with Harry Potter, that was quite a hard fit to achieve.

Eventually, after what felt to Seamus like a day or two, he finally succumbed to despair and sat down on a fallen tree trunk, wondering sadly if he was ever likely to be found or would he perish right here in this forest… And poor Neville, who was injured, will he ever forgive Seamus for not being able to summon help on time?

"Good afternoon." Seamus literally jumped up, spinning around and fumbling for his wand. In front of him stood a gorgeous man, with white blond hair and sapphire blue eyes, toned body and a smile that promised both pleasure and pain. "Are you here all by yourself?" The stranger's voice was smooth like aged whiskey, washing over Seamus like silk scarves on his skin. The poor Irishman could only stare, blinking his eyes a few times when realized he wasn't dreaming up the two large, silky soft looking wings protruding from the man's back. Since he didn't believe in angels, there was only one logical conclusion as to the identity of the creature, but what are the odds?

"Hello…" Seamus tried to clear his throat, his voice sounding far too shrill for his own ears. The stranger came from around the tree trunk Seamus occupied and sat himself down comfortably, patting the space next to him. Seamus sat down.

"What is your name, dotted human?" Seamus narrowed his eyes, yes he had freckles, but pointing that out without a proper introduction was uncalled for!

"Seamus." He gritted out, "What's yours?" The Veela, who seemed completely none pulsed by Seamus' coldness, smoothed out the fabric of his very tight, almost indecently tight, as Seamus noted with a gulp, trousers.

"Thorsten." Seamus sat there wondering what to say next, Thorsten was a Veela, a male Veela which meant he had Male Veela Feathers, and that's exactly what Seamus needed, but he seriously doubted he could just ask for one. Damn it, why didn't he possess a little more cunningness, like Slytherins…

"It's very nice to meet you." He said at last, feeling like ten kinds of idiot for his lame conversational skills.

"You are one of them humans, up in that big castle." Thorsten said in his musical voice, the syllables dripping slowly off his tongue in a seductive manner.

"Yeah, I'm a student there. I'm actually on class right now; I'm supposed to be looking for unicorns."

"Oh, there's a herd of them down by the East Lake." Thorsten waved his hand in the general direction. Seamus looked thoughtful,

"I didn't know they were so close to the castle…" If those bloody things were so bloody shy how come they were wondering near the lake, and why in the name of Merlin did he have to trudge through this goddamn forest trying to find them?

"They're not by the castle; they are by the _East_ Lake!" Thorsten rolled his eyes, honestly… Humans… "You're one of them… city boys aren't you?" Seamus shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable at being mocked by a Veela. Thorsten cast him a calculating gaze, noting the blush that was building up Seamus' cheeks. Straightening up he shook his head and let his golden hair fall around him like a halo, then leaned over, "Say, my home isn't far away, you look weary, how about a nice cup of tea?" Seamus was utterly caught by surprise by that,

"Um… ah… I am… I'm sorry, I can't… You see, I'm in the middle of class, and I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to have tea during class." He said with an apologetic smile, which was met by a roll of sapphire blue,

"Gods, mother was right, human males _are_ idiots…" Thorsten sighed, the heartfelt emotion causing even the feathers on his wings to shudder. Seamus blushed again, not entirely sure how the conversation took that particular turn.

"I beg your pardon?" He said with as much dignity he could muster, this was utterly ridiculous, Seamus thought, he ought to apologize, firmly but gently and make his way back to save poor Neville from being crippled for life.

"I asked you over to my home, for tea." Thorsten said again, his eyes boring into Seamus, a flirting smile dancing on his lips,

"And I've told you that I can't." Seamus repeated slowly, trying his hardest not to come across as condescending. Thorsten let out a low growl, the tips of his fingers itching to strangle the annoying Irishman,

"What is wrong with you boy? Were you never flirted with before?" He snapped. Seamus' eyes widened, oh… _oh_!

"Oh, bloody hell, I know what this is! I've been reading all about it. You're trying to seduce me into having sex with you so that I'd forget everything and lose my way out of this forest!" He cried triumphantly, glad he managed to figure things out. Kyle was pretending not to know him. Thorsten gave him a look, but Seamus prattled on, "Well, you really don't have to bother; I can hardly find my way around here as it is…" He laughed nervously,

"I'm afraid I can't just let you wonder off." Thorsten shook his head gravely, "If you do not come willingly I shall have to take you by force." Seamus' eyes widened comically at that,

"What? You mean rape?" Thorsten shrugged, "That not very nice, is it? Not very polite to threaten people with rape!"

"The fact is, I can't let you go wondering off without insuring my presence remains a secret." Seamus bit his lip, true, Thorsten did have a point, but then again, he really didn't feel like ending his day with a Veela rape… Trying to think fast on his feet before Thorsten, who looked considerably larger and stronger than he, decided he's had enough of inane discussions and took what he wanted.

"What about an oath? A wizarding oath to say that I… that I would never ever tell anyone I've met you?" Thorsten gave it some thought; so far this human was intriguing him far more than he was willing to admit. He'd never before met one who was so undeniably resistant to his charms, it was curious but frustrating and baffling all at once.

"I'm afraid that won't do. I do not trust you humans." Seamus let out a frustrated groan, well, what was he supposed to do now? A wizarding oath was his best idea! His only idea, really… "I do find you rather curious though, I've never met a human able to resist my charms."

"Maybe I'm just straight." Thorsten let out a loud bark of laughter that had Seamus bristling. The Veela cleared his throat, trying to smooth his callousness,

"No, seriously, I've been living in this forest for many centuries and never have I encountered a human, male or female I couldn't seduce within the space of five minutes. You are either possessing extraordinary powers of mind, which I doubt," Seamus shot him another baleful look, "Or you are in love." Unable to stop himself the image Oliver surfaced in Seamus' mind and he blushed. Thorsten smiled wide, "You are, aren't you!" Seamus tried to shrug, cursing his fair skin for showing his emotions so easily the whole time, "Tell me!"

"There isn't much to tell…" Seamus sighed, "He doesn't want me…"

"Oh, I find that hard to believe. You're lovely." Seamus gave the Veela a look, really, after the dotted man, straight gags and 'mind power', he was lovely? Bloody Veela seducer! "I'll tell you what, I'm feeling generous, not to mention amused by you, I'm willing to give you what you most desire in exchange to your oath." Seamus looked the creature up and down, every cell in his body screaming to accept the offer and get the hell out of there, but his Irish pride wouldn't allow him to back down just so easily,

"How do you know what I desire most?" He snarled, and Thorsten rewarded him with another of his overly charming and disarming smiles,

"It's written all over your face, Seamus. You want your man to want you back, and I have just the thing for that." Reaching behind him he gently plucked one of the white feathers from his left wing, showing it to Seamus. Seamus was mesmerized by the sight, a Male Veela feather, a real Male Veela feather, presented to him for the take. Swallowing hard he reached forward, trying to control the shake in his hands, but Thorsten pulled the feather to him and away from Seamus' reach, causing the Irish boy to lift his eyes in question, "Your oath first." Seamus nodded, and pulled his wand out of his pocket,

"I, Seamus Patrick Finnigan, take a binding oath to never reveal the existence, presence, location or any information regarding Thorsten the Veela to any living soul for as long as I shall live." Thorsten nodded his approval and Seamus sealed the oath, a golden vapor emitting from the tip of his wand to surround him and bind him to his oath. With another smile Thorsten handed over the feather and Seamus took it with owe, carefully tucking it into his pocket.

"You had better make your way back, Seamus Patrick Finnigan, before I change my mind and decide to ravish your lovely form anyway." Seamus opened his mouth to protest when Thorsten gave him a small wink. The Gryffindor stood up, hardly resisting the temptation to roll his eyes and reached his hand to Thorsten for a shake,

"It was pleasure doing business with you." Thorsten looked at the offered hand,

"You're a hand-shaker, interesting. You humans have such fascinating habits." Reaching out he grabbed Seamus index finger and wriggled it slightly. Seamus bit his lip not to laugh. Clearing his throat he waved at the Veela and turned to the path again. Looking around him, he sighed,

"Damn, which way did I come again?" Thorsten rolled his eyes,

"This way." He drawled, pointing. Seamus beamed at him before taking the proffered route. When he next reached a fork in the road he decided that simple guessing will not do. Placing his wand on his upturned open palm he muttered 'point me to Neville'. Surprisingly, it took him less than three minutes to reach back to where he left his injured friend. Kyle was pointing at him and laughing so hard on his navigations skills he was literally rolling on the floor, Seamus ignored him.

"Seamus! Where the hell have you been? Did you get Hagrid?" Neville cried out as soon as he realized the noise of stomping hippogriffs through the foliage was really his friend. Seamus stopped dead on his tracks, looking slightly confused. Hagrid… Right, he was supposed to be looking for Hagrid… Crap…

"I… was… going to… but…" He stumbled over the words, the gears in his brain working overtime trying to come up with a plausible explanation as to why he was gone for so long and didn't bring Hagrid back, while still keeping Thorsten's presence a secret because really, he couldn't literally talk about _that_! "I… saw a unicorn…" Gods, he hoped Neville was in enough pain to miss his hesitation,

"Really?" Neville's eyes opened so wide Seamus thought it impossible, "What was it like?" What indeed?

"White… Horsy… Horny…" Neville's eyes bugged out some more,

"Horny?" His breath suddenly caught, "Oh, sweet Merlin, you saw unicorn mating? Blimy that's unbelievable!" Seamus tried to smile; it was really uncomfortable having Neville looking at him like he's his new idol, especially when he did nothing of what Neville was crediting him for,

"No… Not horny, horn-y. It had horn, thingy…" He said, gesturing vaguely over his head. "So, how have you been?" Neville sighed, slightly less enthusiastic,

"Bored. You've been gone for over half hour," He pouted, "I thought you were lost." Seamus looked around him,

"I was. I am, where the hell are we and how the hell are we getting out of here?"

"Well, I ain't going anywhere…" Neville said, pointing at his leg. Seamus mentally slapped himself for forgetting the whole reason for his predicament, _again_.

"Oh, right… Hold on a tick." He pulled out his wand again, pointing it skywards and shot a couple of red sparks from the tip, which echoed loudly through the forest. The two waited in silence for a moment, before a huge crush was heard just ahead of them. The two Gryffindors exchanged a frightened look, and Neville let out a small squeak when Hagrid burst through the dense trees.

"Oh, there ya two are! Been lookin' fer ya." The half giant grumbled, "What the hell happened ta ya?" He asked once his beady eyes fell on Neville's leg. Neville blushed a little, muttering something under his breath. When Hagrid still looked confused Seamus elaborated,

"He sprained his ankle sir." Nodding his understanding Hagrid hoisted his heavy crossbow back onto his shoulder, much to the boys' relief, and bent down to pick Neville up, bridle style to carry him back to the castle.

Seamus followed behind them, his mind already drifting now that he was certain he was getting out of the forest, he had a Veela feather! A real, proper and hopefully functioning Veela feather! YES!

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** Verinade- a heart shaped hard candy that is injected with veritaserum and other potions and spells to make the one who eats it spill all the most secret fantasies and things they'd like to do to their loved one (sexually) in the form of a song.

The name Verinade is a combination of the words Veritaserum and serenade. It's an experimental name until the twins (fine, I) will come up with something really good. Though, since it's already out of production I might not bother…


	6. Chapter 6

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Six**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,  
My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.  
Were the world mine,**

**(Helena, act I, scene I)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

It's been three days since that fateful trip into the Forbidden Forest and Seamus still hasn't decided how to tackle the issue of making Oliver his. It was a simple question of where and when, but Seamus couldn't very well march up to the high table during breakfast and dust Oliver in front of the entire school, now could he?

Going to Oliver's room and doing it away from watchers would have been ideal but then again, he'd have to make sure that Professor Die-Cedric-Die Diggory wasn't there, and that wasn't an appealing thought either.

Eventually Seamus decided that his best chance would be during the official time he and Oliver spent together which meant rehearsals. Yes, there were going to be others around but the way Seamus saw it (or at least managed to convince himself of) he'd be able to both get Oliver to be his, and just maybe, he'll be able to help out poor Harry. True, this would be sort of cheating because Hannah never showed any interest in Harry whatsoever, but the entire Gryffindor house was convinced she was just playing it hard to get and in reality she was pining for Harry just as much as he was for her, only she had standards and would not consent to be Harry's until he stopped with his ideas of romance.

That afternoon Seamus showed up at the Great Hall for rehearsal a little early. He was nervous, and clutching the feather in his pocket. He wasn't even sure why he was nervous, after all he did have a plan, sort of. As soon as he walked in he saw Oliver standing in the corner, leafing through some text. Seamus gulped, gods but Oliver looked good, biting his lip in concentration like that and playing with strands of his hair.

He should just go ahead and do it, how hard could it be? Seamus tried to convince himself that nothing would make Oliver happier than being dusted with a Veela feather, without being asked first, and fall madly in love with Seamus. His inner battle was cut shorter when Kyle announced that if Seamus did not go through with the plan he, Kyle, would deliberately lose it, which means Seamus would too. And somehow the image of a white padded room next to Gilderoy Lockhart didn't sound very appealing.

Seamus was just about to turn to the other side of the room and admire Oliver from a far a little more before he plucked up enough courage to actually go to him when Oliver raised his head and saw him,

"Hey, Seamus, mind stepping here for a second? There's something I want to talk to you about." Seamus gulped, looking like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment. Looking around him he noticed none of his friends were even looking in his direction so he couldn't catch any of their eyes in a desperate plea for help. Realizing he had no choice, Seamus took a deep breath, shook his hair back and marched over to where his director was standing.

"So, I'm thinking maybe the fairies should have wings. You know, it's traditional." Seamus was gob-smacked. Wings… "What do you think?" Scratching the back of his neck the poor Irish lad looked lost,

"Are you asking me or telling me, sir?" He tried to keep the horror from his voice, but it was hard. Oliver rolled his eyes,

"I told you to call me Oliver…" He admonished Seamus gently, "I was thinking sheer, fairy style wings, maybe… Pink?" Gathering himself up, Seamus decided to ignore the mischievous glint in Oliver's eyes. So yes, he was gay, so yes the entire school knew but even he had limits and his line was drawn at _pink wings_!

"I don't do pink, _Sir_." Oliver burst out laughing, the sound both aggravating Seamus and drawing him in. Kyle was going 'psyched!' in his head but as usual, he chose to ignore him.

"I'm sorry…" Oliver apologized, "It was just too good to miss." When Seamus didn't seem all that mollified he patted him on the shoulder, "We'll go with green wings. It'll bring out your eyes." He said and turned back to his papers. Seamus stood there dumbstruck; Oliver touched him, _and_ paid him a compliment, sort of. A quick consulting session with Kyle and his decision was made for him. With shaking hands Seamus took out the feather from his pocket, quickly wiping off his sweaty palms first. Holding the feather behind his back he called out Oliver's name, cursing himself for how shaky his voice sounded. When Oliver raised his eyes, Seamus quickly closed his and thrust the feather forward. There was a loud sneezing sound and Seamus sighed, it was a stupid idea, and obviously it didn't work…

Turning around Seamus decided to end his misery and leave as soon as possible, but a soft hand on his cheek stopped him. Blinking his eyes open slowly he looked up, to meet Oliver's. The hand on his face was still there, caressing his skin softly, while Oliver's thumb moved to run over his lips. Seamus held his breath, hardly believing this could happen that this was _happening_. Oliver smiled down at him, and started to lean forward. Seamus' breath caught- Oliver was going to kiss him! Inside his head Kyle was doing a mambo holding a mai-tai.

"Excuse me? Can we get on with rehearsal?" Seamus quickly turned, his face flaming at hearing Hermione's voice. Oliver looked up, his eyes flashing with anger before a smile took over his face, "Some of us have life you know."

"I don't see why _you're_ concerned then, Mione…" Hermione turned sharp eyes towards the hero of the Wizarding World, until Harry cowered (which didn't take long) while the others started snickering.

"Alright everyone, that's enough." Oliver called, his eyes unashamedly fixed on Seamus, who was blushing and trying to hide a smile. "I need the village actors. Come on guys." Grumbling a little Ernie Macmillan, Michael Corner, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Vincent Crabbe, Blaize Zabini and Ron Weasley stepped forward, holding their copies and leafing through them to see what scene they needed. The rest of the teens stood at the side of the hall that signaled the off-stage part.

Seamus watched his friends; it was all he could do not to stare openly at Oliver with doe-y eyes. That would be really embarrassing; he'd look like… like Harry… Seamus groaned softly. Damn it! They've been working on Harry for so long, and so hard trying to get him to stop acting like a complete love struck idiot but nothing seemed to work. The puppy dog eyes he was giving Hannah were just as bad, if not worse than before. Well, it was time something be done!

Inching his way around the group of teens Seamus discreetly pulled the feather from his pocket. Checking the coast again he noticed the space between Harry and Hannah was empty, perfect! He was going to dust Hannah and make her fall as madly in love with Harry as he was with her if it's the last thing he did!

In his pursuit of his prey Seamus forgot about all the others, and therefore missed the gleam of interest that sparked in Hermione's eyes when she saw him pulling out the feather. The brainy witch's mind was working extra fast to piece the puzzle together and she smiled to herself. She watched as Seamus approached Hannah, waiting for just the right moment. When Seamus pulled the feather from behind his back she quickly pushed Draco in front of Hannah.

Seamus stood completely stunned, watching Draco splatter and waving his hands to brush away at what was irritating his nose. No… NoNoNoNoNoNoNo! It can't be! Oh crap. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, all he knew was that he was aiming for Hannah Abbott and somehow Draco Malfoy was the one with a face full of Veela dust. With avid eyes he watched as Draco blinked his eyes open, the mercury orbs landing on the Boy-Who-Lived. Seamus closed his eyes in pain, oh, double triple quadruple infinity-ple crap…

Before he had time to come up with a plan to fix things, the feather was snatched from his fingers. Seamus gasped, turning just in time to see Hermione dusting Harry with a wicked smile. Harry, caught off guard stumbled a few steps backwards and shook his head. When his opened his eyes it was clear who they'd landed on. Seamus wanted to smack himself in the forehead when the two boys came together wordlessly, fiercely locking lips. Or better yet, he'd thump Hermione who didn't appreciate the seriousness of Veela feathers and apparently thought they were just a game!

Turning to his friend he made a grab for the feather, but Hermione moved her hand. Seamus growled at her and grabbed harder, managing to snatch the feather away but in the process somehow managing to brush it over Hermione's face.

"Seamus!" She screeched, "I'll kill you!" Squeaking in fear Seamus did the only thing he could think of, he jumped behind the nearest person, who happened to be Pansy and crouched behind her back. He didn't dare look up and hoped beyond hope that Hermione would go instantly blind and not see a soul and therefore could not blame him for anything. A few seconds later he dared lifting his head, quite amazed to see the smile spreading on Hermione's face, "Pansy…" She said softly. The dark haired girl in front of her bit her lip shyly,

"Hermione…" Seamus watched as Hermione closed the short distance between them and smacked her lips against Pansy's who was only too happy to reciprocate. Seamus hurriedly jumped backwards as to not get trampled by the couple. Pocketing the feather quickly he decided he's done enough damage for one day. Casting a wary eye on the girls he walked over to where Parvati was standing, her eyes glued to Harry and Draco.

"Pats, did you know that Pansy was…" Parvati didn't even bother to avert her eyes,

"Uh-huh."

"And did you know that she was into…"

"Uh-huh." Seeing as he wasn't about to receive any more information from his best female friend Seamus finally turned to look at what caught Parvati's attention so.

"Oh, bloody hell; don't tell me you're one of those fag hags who gets turned on by seeing a couple of guys make out!" Parvati sighed, dragging her eyes from the deliciously hot boy-on-boy free show in front of her to fix her friend with a glare,

"Why the hell do you think I hang around you all the time?" She deadpanned, and Seamus' jaw dropped, "Though you've been quite a disappointment so far." She pointed her finger at him. Seamus put his hand over his heart in a hurt gesture,

"Excuse me! I have standards!" Parvati chuckled,

"Oh, yeah. And speaking of standards, here he comes." She pointed and Seamus' mouth went instantly dry at the sight of Oliver heading towards them. Parvati gave her friend one look and smiled. That was it, Seamus was off to his Oliver-land and there was nobody left home. Graciously she stepped aside, knowing that she was more invisible than thin air at the moment.

"Hi." Seamus breathed as soon as Oliver stood in front of him, a predatory look in his eyes that was sending all the right signals to all the right places in Seamus' body. Without a word the older man took Seamus' hand in his, pulling him forward. But instead of the kiss Seamus was so anxious for; Oliver turned and started leading Seamus towards the doors. Before the couple has made more than ten paces though, Ron Weasley cried out,

"I bloody knew it! You were shagging your way to the lead all along, you filthy little poof!" Tightening his grip on Oliver's hand, for extra courage Seamus turned to the hated redhead,

"Shove off, Weasley!" With one swift motion he pulled out the feather, thrusting it in Ron's face, hoping that he'd fall for a chair or, with a bit of luck, Mrs. Norris. Ron grabbed his face as if burned, stepping back and cursing. The entire room watched as he fell backwards flat on his arse.

"Are you alright, Mr. Weasley?" Seamus reached out to stop Professor Flitwick but it was too late. Stuffing his fist in his mouth and biting his knuckles in horror Seamus watched as Ron's expression became just as awe struck as the rest of those who were infected, and all for their tiny charms professor. Oh, poor Professor Flitwick…

A tug to his hand brought Seamus back from his guilt and horror induced shock and as he turned his eyes to Oliver he forgot all about Harry and Draco and Hermione and Pansy and especially Ron. Smiling wide and barely able to contain his happiness he let Oliver lead him through the corridors, away from watchful eyes and into his rooms.

"Gods, you're beautiful…" Oliver's breath was ghosting over Seamus' neck as the Scotsman leaned forward, trapping Seamus between his body and the door. Seamus shivered under the hot breath that was making his skin so sensitive. It was as if every molecule in his body had suddenly become alive.

"That's just the feather talking." He lamented softly, gods; wouldn't it be the most awesome thing in the world if Oliver had actually meant what he was saying? And doing? Unable to see Oliver's face, which was buried in the crook of his neck Seamus missed the small smile that graced the man's lips before he attached them to the soft creamy white skin there. The feel of Oliver's lips on his skin was sending all rational thought out of the window and Seamus let out a low moan.

"Come here." Oliver pulled back, placing his hand behind Seamus' head and pulling him towards him. Seamus went without any resistance. Now that there was no one around, there was nothing to stop Oliver from claiming those cherry lips, which he gladly did. Seamus practically melted into the kiss. He didn't care if he got Oliver to this point by cheating, he didn't care if it was wrong, immoral or against school rules. He didn't care about anything because this was where he wanted to be and this was what he wanted to do and the rest of the world could go up in flames for all he cared.

Slowly, careful not to break the kiss Oliver started walking, pushing Seamus backwards. Seamus went gladly, knowing he'd let Oliver do just about anything he wanted to him. Only when he felt the bed knocking against his shins and fell on it, though, did Seamus truly understood where Oliver was aiming. Settling upon the bed Seamus tried to calm his beating heart, lest it jump out of his chest.

Oliver smiled down at him, and Seamus gave a shaky smile in return. He wanted this, he really did, but at the same time he was a little nervous- even if he wasn't technically a virgin he was still rather new to the concept of sex (with another person) even though this was his ultimate fantasy. Or maybe the fact that it _was _his ultimate fantasy was making him nervous- what if he sucked at this? What if Oliver thought him a waste of his time and didn't want anything else to do with him after this? Oliver could see the hesitation in Seamus' eyes, the fear and that made his arousal dim somewhat. He wouldn't take Seamus by force, he couldn't, physically.

"Have you ever done this before?" Oliver asked in a low voice, sitting down on the bed besides Seamus but not actually touching him anymore.

"Of course." Seamus tried to brush the question away with confidence he didn't really feel. Oliver's jaw tightened, as he was trying to fight the irrational jealousy that was coursing through him. Oliver's eyes were boring into Seamus' and he felt unable to lie, "Once." He admitted softly. Oliver took a deep breath and smiled, he wasn't going to think of anyone else touching his prize, but he would damn make sure nobody else ever did!

"Relax." He breathed into Seamus' ear, pushing the younger man to lie on the bed. Seamus thought it a bit counterproductive of Oliver, telling him to relax while his body flared up like that but he tried his best. Oliver lay next to him, his body aligned with Seamus' but not actually touching it. He pressed his lips to Seamus', kissing him softly and slowly, trying to ease the other man into letting go. Seamus could feel his muscles losing their rigidness and become suppler under Oliver's ministration and he closed his eyes, doing his best to relax.

Seamus buried his fingers in Oliver's hair, trying to tug the man down and closer to him when he felt Oliver's hand slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Seamus was determined not to panic and concentrated on the kiss as best he could. When Oliver reached the last button he let go of Seamus mouth and rose to his elbows. Seamus lay panting, his eyes shut tight and waited. Oliver took his time, loosening the school tie around Seamus' neck and parting the white fabric of his shirt. Seamus shivered a little at the feel of Oliver's warm breath on his exposed skin but refused to open his eyes,

"I love your freckles…" Seamus' eyes snapped open and his hands flew up to try and cover his flesh. No no no! This will not do! Oliver let out a low chuckle and swatted Seamus' hands away almost effortlessly, before he straddled the younger man and captured his hands above his head. Seamus knew he was trapped but struggled nonetheless. He was not about to lay here and listen to Oliver going on and on about his damn freckles! It was insulting!

"Let me go!" He growled, but Oliver simply lowered his head and captured Seamus' lips again. The boy went boneless under him once more, melting into the kiss for a moment before he remembered his predicament, "I hate those damn freckles, don't…" Oliver rose to his knees and smiled again,

"But they are brilliant; they look like someone dusted you with brown sugar. They make me want to… do this…" He finished with a sultry, husky whisper and lowered his head to Seamus' chest, sticking his tongue out and swiping it from Seamus' navel to his collarbone. Seamus squeaked- Oliver smiled and did that again, this time slightly to the left so that his tongue ran over Seamus' nipple. The Irishman couldn't help the low moan escaping from his mouth. Damn but he just wanted Oliver to continue doing that all day long, freckles be damned!

As Oliver continued worshiping his torso Seamus arched off the bed and tried to wriggle out of his shirt at the same time. The end result was both his arms painfully caught under him inside the sleeves, the shirt material not yielding to force. Seamus let out a small pained groan and Oliver stopped. He looked down at the man under him and saw Seamus' arm twisted under his back, in a way that looked almost dangerous. Rolling his eyes the Scotsman lifted Seamus by the shoulders and grabbed his wand from his pocket, spelling the shirt away altogether,

"Gryffindors can be so silly sometimes…" He muttered. Seamus, his arms now free, squeaked in indignation and tackled Oliver backwards, sending the older man laughing under him,

"Oh, yeah?" He growled, his fingers trying to catch Oliver's buttons while the other man was bouncing with laughter, making his job quite difficult, "Let's just see how silly they are…" Oliver laughter died, but the mischievous smile remained as he pushed Seamus backwards again.

"Let me show you how it's done." Oliver said and extended his right arm out, while his left hand worked the button on the cuff slowly. Seamus wanted to roll his eyes and feign indifference but he had to bite his lip to keep the bubbling laughter from escaping. Oliver repeated the process on the button of his other cuff and then started on the buttons on his front. Seamus' laughter died as each inch of tanned, muscular, smooth and hairless skin was revealed. He swallowed convulsively as his mouth was flooded with saliva. Oliver smiled, loving the effect he was having on the other man.

As soon as he was done, and the shirt was discarded Oliver leaned against Seamus again, capturing his mouth. Seamus gasped at the feel of naked flesh above him, he hated how the sight of Oliver's naked flesh was making him feel all the more white and scrawny but at the same time he loved the feeling of those muscles shifting and moving against him. Again Oliver made his way southward on Seamus' body, licking and nipping his way towards the belt buckle. With a smile he took off Seamus' shoes and socks, before climbing back and undoing his buckle. His eyes were kept fixed on Seamus' and the young man could do nothing more than lift his hips at the urging of his lover and let him pull his trousers and underwear down.

Before Seamus had any time to feel self conscious about being completely naked in front of Oliver the older man swished his wand again and rid himself of his own trousers, crawling back over Seamus and gently parting his legs.

"Don't be nervous…" He whispered slowly, trying to ease the other man's anxiety,

"I'm not nervous, I'm shit scared." Oliver let out a low chuckle, resting his forehead on Seamus' stomach and causing the other man to jump up slightly,

"Why are you so scared? You said you've done this before…" Seamus looked at the ceiling, his fingers automatically finding purchase in Oliver's locks,

"I did, I just never bottomed before." Oliver lifted his head, pulling himself up so that his face was level with Seamus', his eyes boring into the blue orbs of his lover, seeking out reassurance,

"Do you trust me?" Seamus looked up, and nodded slowly, feeling unable to tear his gaze from Oliver's. Without taking his eyes off of Seamus' Oliver moved his hand slowly and ran it over Seamus' buttocks. The Irishman's breath caught in his chest and forcefully reminded himself to relax. And breath, and again. "We don't have to do this, you know." It took Seamus a couple of seconds to realize that Oliver was talking again and another few to register the words he was saying,

"No! I want to, I really do. Just… go slow." Oliver smiled down at him and kissed his way down Seamus' stomach once more. While Seamus' mouth was saying one thing, his body was clearly saying another, but there were other ways to enjoy one another's body that didn't involve causing Seamus a heart failure from fear and anxiety.

Smiling to himself again. Oliver leveled his face with Seamus' throbbing cock, letting out his breath slowly over the heated head. Seamus would have jumped up, bucking his hips hard if Oliver hadn't had them pinned to the bed. Thoroughly enjoying his younger lover's reactions Oliver ran his tongue over the rigid flesh, causing Seamus to moan loudly before slapping his hand over his mouth in embarrassment. Oliver grinned, loving the effect he was having on Seamus.

Lowering his head he stuck out his tongue and slowly licked a trail going from the base of Seamus' cock to the tip, then repeating the process from all sides. He chanced a look up at Seamus' face, seeing the Irishman looking straight at him and smiled, opening his mouth wide and sinking on the other man's length. Seamus gaped in shock; no one, on one has ever done anything like that to him, and by Merlin Oliver looked like he was actually _enjoying_ this! Seamus wanted to keep his eyes open and just watch every move  
Oliver made but then Oliver did something with his tongue that had Seamus' eyes rolling backwards and his hips trying to buck up again.

Oliver was really enjoying himself. He liked sucking cock, he was _good_ at it. And having a partner that was as responsive as Seamus was even better. Knowing that his young lover wasn't ready for much more tonight, Oliver tried to drag out the experience as much as he could, making it good for both of them.

By now Seamus was reduced to a quivering mess on the bed, he no longer tried to mask his moans and no longer felt shame over them. This was the most amazing experience in his entire life. He never would have believed that having his cock in someone's mouth would be as orgasmic as having it inside someone. His fingers twisted in the material of the bedspread as his back arched and he came loudly and violently into Oliver's mouth.

Still gasping for breath Seamus looked down his body to see Oliver's tongue darting to catch the last drops of his release and blushed deep crimson. Then Oliver moved up his body and came face to face with Seamus, smiling like a big, satisfied cat.

"I'm sorry." Seamus muttered as he reached up to wipe his finger over Oliver's lips, feeling rather disgusted with himself for just sprouting into the other man's mouth like that. That couldn't have been very polite.

"Don't worry about that." Oliver said with a smile and shifted a little to bring his mouth towards Seamus lips, but his motion brought his erection in contact with Seamus' thigh causing the latter to look down and Oliver's lips to catch his brow.

"Do you… hum… want me to…?" Seamus asked uncertainly, trying to convince himself that if Oliver said yes, he'd be able to return the favor. Not that he wouldn't, he just felt his performance probably won't stand to par with Oliver's. The older man smiled kindly, recognizing the signs of hesitance on Seamus' face and grabbed his hand, leading it down to his own rigid cock. Seamus gasped at the first contact, feeling quite self conscious as he started rubbing his hand up and down the shaft. The last time he did this to someone else was when he had sex that one time last summer, and then, by the time he reached to wrap his hand around the other man's shaft he was so far gone he didn't really cared what he was doing. And he certainly didn't have those hazel eyes boring into his and just begging him to move his hand.

Seamus took a deep breath, closed his eyes and leaned forwards to catch Oliver's lips, while he began to move his hand over the other's cock. He could taste traces of his own cum on Oliver's tongue but refused to let himself think about it, instead he tried his best to concentrate on making Oliver feel good, really good. Moving his hand more surely now that Oliver was responding well, Seamus tried to recall all the things that made him feel good when he touched himself, all the twists of the wrist and the pressure of the fingers, and from the noises Oliver was making into his mouth, he was doing rather well.

When his vision started blurring and little dots appeared before his eyes Seamus pulled back from the kiss, taking several large gulps of air, before bringing his hand to his mouth and spitting on it, lowering it back to his ministering. Seamus watched mesmerized as Oliver's eyes fluttered shut and his head fell back on the pillow, it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen and he sped his movements, his slick hand blurring over Oliver's cock. Seamus didn't know where to look, Oliver's cock or Oliver's face, both were equally beautiful and enthralling in their own way.

When Oliver let out a soft low moan Seamus knew that he was close and pressed his thumb against the slit of Oliver's cockhead and watched as the Scotsman nearly convulsed on the bed, cuming hard into his hand.

Oliver's eyes fluttered open and he gave Seamus a shaky smile, his cheeks flushed and chest heaving. Seamus returned the smile hesitantly, not sure what to do next, when Oliver grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to a fierce kiss.

"That was brilliant. Thank you." Seamus blushed at the praise, feeling his cheeks burning. Oliver chuckled, before he reached behind him for his wand, cleaning them both and spelling the covers above them. Neither had any rush to get to class or anywhere for that matter and dinner was another couple of hours away, so he figured they could use the nap.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**A/N:** People, you have no idea how long it took me to write this…. I swear, six months! I had the entire story already done somewhere in May but for his last scene and man, it just didn't come to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay. Winter, sick, you know the drill…**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Seven**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**Jack shall have Jill;  
Nought shall go ill;  
The man shall have his mare again, **

**and all shall be well.  
(Puck, act III, scene II)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Life was damn near perfect. Yes, it was.

Sure, at first it was a little embarrassing, people wriggling their eyebrows at him and making good natured lewd gestures simply because he had a boyfriend now. But Seamus found that with Oliver having his back he could just smile back and even throw in a sultry wink when people got into their shenanigans. The only really embarrassing bit was the morning Pansy Parkinson came up to him during breakfast and smacked a huge kiss right on his lips whispering 'Thank you' loud enough to make even Seamus blush, not to mention Hermione.

But Seamus couldn't care less about any of this. Not when he had Oliver by his side, not when he could ogle the man at meals without having to hide his stares, and especially not when Oliver was doing it right back. He loved it that he could walk around with Oliver, holding hands and exchanging small kisses and secret smiles. Sometimes Seamus felt like a bloody 12 years old girl but then he'd look over at Harry and Draco and somehow, next to them, it really didn't matter. Those two were like a walking 24-7 on going porn movie. Most of the guys found it rather unsettling, most of the girls just followed around to drool.

He supposed he and Oliver could be like that too, molesting each other in the Great Hall for the entire world to see, kissing like starving people for whom the other's lips are pure nectar. Or climbing onto each other's laps, like Harry was doing at this very moment, breakfast be damned. Seamus watched in fascination, like the rest of the school. He could never bring himself to do that, not in a million years. What he and Oliver shared was private and not meant for the eyes of the masses. He briefly wondered if it was the feather that was having such an impact or whether it was just Harry and Draco who were as horny as bloody rabbits. Because they certainly were... Going at it like that all the time, without regard nor consideration to people around them, but boy were they hot together, the way Harry would slide his hands through Draco's hair, or the way Draco's hands would slide to cup Harry's bum. Or… Oh, good gods, that was not something to be viewed by the large public… Or anyone who isn't an extra in a gay porn film!

"Enough!" The entire hall was startled from its 'Harry and Draco latest making-out session' staring and all eyes turned to Hannah who was standing up, panting and flushed. Harry slowly tore himself away from Draco, watching Hannah curiously, his lips ruby red and kiss swollen, which only made the Hufflepuff witch angrier. "Harry, this is by far the worst plan you've ever come up with to try and win me over!"

"What are you on about, Hannah?" If possible, Hannah's face grew even redder at Harry's bored tone. Gathering air she let out all the frustration and anger she was feeling ever since the whole mess with Draco started,

"Fuck you Potter! Fuck you! Gods, I hate men!" With that she stormed out of the Great Hall, the eyes of every student on her. Harry looked after her confused, as if he was trying to remember something that was sitting on the edge of his consciousness but couldn't. His eyes suddenly landed on Susan Bones, Hannah's best friend who was sending a death glare that was causing Harry to shrink back against Draco. Without a word Susan strode out of the hall in search of her friend. Harry watched her go, but as soon as the door closed behind her back he shrugged and turned back to Draco not wasting a second more to resume their kissing.

"Merlin, I never thought I'd say this about a Hufflepuff, but poor Hannah…" Pansy said, picking up her toast again and shaking her head. Next to her, her doting girlfriend, Hermione was smiling rather evilly,

"I think this is brilliant!" Pansy dropped her toast in disbelief,

"What? You saw how callous Harry was, how is that a good thing?" Hermione leaned over to brush her lips against Pansy's cheek, trying to placate the other girl,

"Well, at least we know now that Hannah has feelings for Harry. She's jealous."

"I don't blame her…" Lavender said thoughtfully, her eyes fixed on Harry and Draco, taking in every detail, biting her lips and softly panting at intervals. The rest of the table was giving her odd looks, "I mean just look at that! I don't know what Harry ever found in that dull girl, when he's got that perfect piece of blond arse, so… fucking… hot…" Dean was mimicking puking into his cereal bowl without Lavender noticing,

"Lavender, please. You're drooling all over my porridge." Seamus said in a bored tone, a little miffed at how hot she was finding all this. It wasn't that he wanted her to look at him and Oliver the same way, but still, two guys making out should not be such a turn on for girls!

Everyone but Harry and Draco could see Professor Snape approaching the Slytherin table where the two of them were far too busy to notice anyone but themselves. Looming over them the dark Potions Master cleared his throat loudly and deliberately. Harry tore himself away from Draco,

"What?" He snapped, turning his head to find his least favorite professor with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrow rose,

"That would be 20 points from Gryffindor for your rudeness Potter." Harry automatically opened his mouth to protest but Draco pulled his arm, and glared at him to be quiet, "Now, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, I understand that you feel the uncontrollable desire to consummate your relationship right here in the Great Hall, in front of us all, though I do not understand why. However, most of us are trying to have our breakfast, so if you don't mind, you might want to step outside to continue… this." He waved his hand in disdain at their general direction,

"Actually…" Harry began when Draco rolled his eyes, unable to believe his boyfriend could be so dense. He rose from his seat, making Harry, who was sitting in his lap rise as well, and tagged the brunet after him, headed for the doors. Harry threw a dirty look over shoulder at Snape who still stood there like a dark avenging angel, just anxious for Harry to open his big mouth so he'll have an excuse to unleash on him. The rest of the hall chuckled before resuming their breakfast, free of further interruptions.

Yes, life indeed was good. Heaven even.

The only thing Seamus seemed to be regretting these days was being unable to sing in the shower anymore. Technically no one was stopping him, but he wasn't taking chances- not after the joke he's made over purple eye shadows for the play only to find out that Oliver took him far too seriously. Seamus was afraid that if he'd start singing in the shower Oliver might get into his head that the play should be a musical. And just when Seamus was starting to warm up to the idea of having to perform Shakespeare in front of a huge audience he wasn't about to do it in song!

Between N.E.W.T.s, rehearsals, Oliver, homework, costume fitting, Oliver, working on his stage fright with Professor Flitwick, Oliver and more Oliver Seamus really didn't notice the time flying. The school year was progressing rather smoothly, even with the looming threat of the N.E.W.T.s and before he knew it Seamus was sitting down to his final exams, along with his peers. For two weeks, all he's been doing was cram information into his head and spewing it on the parchment during examination. By the end of the fortnight Seamus was mentally and physically exhausted to the point all he wanted to do was fall asleep in Oliver's arms and wake up when fall rolled in again.

But his biggest challenge to date was yet to come. The much dreaded play, which was scheduled for the day after the official school ending. Dumbledore has decided that the best thing would be to combine all and every party to one giant celebration to be held on the Quidditch pitch after the play was done. Up until then Seamus had managed to convince himself that it was all a dream, that all the practicing and reciting was done just so he can get closer to Oliver, that all the people scheduled to come to see him act were not real. But then the delegations from the other schools started to arrive and Seamus was faced with the reality of the situation. Butterflies were taking permanent residence in his stomach and the only things that could calm the bouts of hysteria were Oliver's hands and lips.

"Good morning gorgeous, time to wake up…" Oliver's sultry voice was sending little shivers down Seamus' spine, and the Irishman hummed affectionately. "It's a big day today." The little smile slipped off Seamus' face and was replaced by a pout. Suddenly the appeal of waking up to Oliver's clever hands was completely lost, with the knowledge that in just a few hours he'd have to get up on stage and _perform_…

"No… I'm staying in bed until tomorrow." He decided, and Oliver chuckled.

"Well, you can't. Up." Without waiting for Seamus to respond Oliver easily flipped the smaller man onto his back, pulling the sheets down in the process. Seamus whined, his eyes still closed and blindly tried to grab the blankets and roll over in order to go back to sleep. But Oliver would have none of that. He straddled Seamus, grabbing the flailing hands and pinned them to the mattress. Seamus, realizing he was trapped, finally conceded to open his eyes.

"You're mean." He complained, his pout getting fiercer, which only made Oliver smile wider,

"You're my little star; I cannot have you sleeping all day." Leaning forward he brushed his lips against Seamus' ear, whispering seductively, "I happen to know some really great relaxation techniques, would you like me to show you?" Seamus grinned wide, would he ever!

Oliver smiled wickedly in return and started placing small, hot kisses along the path of Seamus' neck, down to his collarbone. Seamus closed his eyes, blocking all the outside distractions and concentrating solely on the feeling of Oliver's lips. He let out a soft moan, and another when the sensual lips reached his chest and a wicked tongue joined in. Seamus' head fell back, his eyes closed and his breathing labored, it was bliss, pure bliss and for as long as he's had Oliver's lips on him he didn't need to think of anything else.

Seamus was just letting the intense shivers run through his body as Oliver tongue-fucked his naval, feeling the ripples in his skin extending from his center to the very tips of his fingers and toes when Oliver's clever tongue suddenly disappeared. Disoriented Seamus opened his eyes, blinking in confusion,

"Wha'?" He blinked up to see Oliver's face turned away from him, looking at the window above him. Seamus craned his neck trying to see what had caught his lover's attention. "What is it?"

"There's an owl outside." Oliver said. Seamus craned his neck a little further and then he saw it, standing there on the window ledge looking at the two of them. Seamus felt himself shrinking back and his cheeks burning- gods this was stupid, but to him it felt like the owl was sending them reproachful glares, and he'd be buggered if he'd let an _owl_ dictate his sex life!

"Ignore it." Seamus rasped, eager to have Oliver's lips back on him. This was ridiculous; he wasn't going to let a stupid bird ruin his morning fun! Oliver, however, sighed deeply and rose to his knees; he looked down when Seamus let out a small disappointed whimper,

"When was the last time you ignored an owl and it just left?" Seamus rolled his eyes and cursed the entire owl species under his breath. Oliver bit his lip to hide his grin and slid from the bed. Seamus turned to his side, propping himself on his elbow and ogled Oliver's gloriously naked rump. Hell, if he didn't get any action he'd have to settle for looking, right?

"It's for you." Seamus was startled, blinking in confusion and turning to look up at Oliver's face. The older man had an eyebrow raised, knowing perfectly well where his little Irish brat's attention had been. "It's from Dumbledore." All the blood seemed to have drained from Seamus' face and he sat straighter in bed, pulling the sheet to him as if the headmaster had actually been in the room. Oliver chuckled and made his way back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it and handing the parchment to Seamus.

"He wants to see me in his office." Seamus told him uneasily after reading the missive. Oliver nodded, "Why would he want to see me in his office?" Oliver shrugged. Seamus frowned, what on earth could the headmaster want with him on the eve of their show?

"Maybe he wants to congratulate his star in person?" Oliver suggested, and Seamus' whole body involuntarily flinched at the mention of his 'star' status.

"Or maybe he'd like to tell me that I failed all my N.E.W.T.s and that I can't be on the play because of it!" Seamus' eyes were shining so bright it was actually stabbing at Oliver's heart. Seamus wasn't supposed to be _this_ happy about the idea!

"Do you really think the headmaster would do that without telling _me_?" He shot through clenched teeth but Seamus refused to back down,

"He might." He purred with a charming smile, dropping the message carelessly as he rose to his knees in order to straddle Oliver. The Scotsman rolled his eyes, sure, worm your way out of potential arguments by using your devilishly sexy body… See if I care…

"You should go. Lunch is nearly over." Oliver managed between kisses, not sounding at the least persuasive. Seamus pushed him back towards the bed, running his hands slowly down Oliver's body. Who cared what Dumbledore had to say? It wasn't like he was going to swoop in and chastises Seamus for being late, right? Seamus gulped and sprang free from Oliver's embrace, his breathing suddenly labored. He looked over at the fireplace; as if afraid the headmaster's head will show up in green flames. Oliver looked confused, "What is it?"

"I should probably go, lunch is almost over." Seamus said distractedly, keeping his eye on the fireplace while he discreetly snatched a sheet off the bed to cover himself with. Quickly he gathered his clothes and fled to the bathroom. Oliver watched his boyfriend's antics amused, guessing what had gotten Seamus' knickers in such a twist. Good old Dumbles could scare the sexual drive out of any hormone driven teenager. Pity really.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

Standing in front of the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office Seamus hesitated. What if the headmaster _did_ tell him he was voted off the play? The memory of Oliver's face when he said it stabbed at Seamus. He really didn't want to act, but he really didn't want to upset Oliver either, and at this moment a lot of Oliver's creditability was lying on the play and how well he, Seamus was going to do in it.

The gargoyle suddenly sprang to life and hopped aside, causing Seamus to jump as well, in surprise. Swallowing hard and forcing the panic down Seamus closed his eyes and set his feet on the spiral staircase, letting it carry him up.

"Come inside, my boy." Dumbledore's cheery voice called from inside even before Seamus had a chance to knock, making Seamus feel even more uneasy and wondering exactly how much the old man knew of what was going on in his castle. "Tea?" Seamus quickly shook his head, his stomach tying in so many nervous knots he knew he couldn't keep anything down, not even liquids.

"You called for me sir?" He asked, his voice sounding small and meek in his ears and Seamus hated himself for being weak. After all, he's done nothing wrong, well, nothing that was so badly wrong that he'd have to be sent to the headmaster's office, right?

"Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about the Veela Feather you have." Dumbledore looked at his student, studying him carefully. Seamus wasn't a bad boy, in fact compared to other Gryffindors he was actually a very good one, not getting into trouble and certainly not breaking school rules left and right like some of his fellow house-mates.

That was the reason this was so hard on Dumbledore- he was puzzled, intrigued and curious and that was never a good thing for the man he was facing. How on earth did the boy manage to get his hands on something so rare and so valuable? It wasn't black market purchasing, Dumbledore knew, for he had checked all his contacts in Knockturn Alley and none of them has either sold or heard of a selling of such thing. Not that Dumbledore thought that Seamus could afford a Veela Feather even if he did find a place that was willing to sell him one. Besides, the boy hasn't left the castle in over a fortnight.

This meant he got the feather on school grounds, and that was making Dumbledore even more curious than before. Was it possible that there were Male Veela down in the Forbidden Forest? Hagrid certainly never reported seeing one. Even the centaurs never reported to seeing one and they roamed the forest's length and width and very little escaped their notice.

"Th-the V-veela Feather?" Seamus felt his heart sink, deep down he knew that this moment would come and that was probably why he was so reluctant to step into the headmaster's office, but somehow he managed to convince himself that it wouldn't. If Dumbledore knew, that means he'd have to break his promise to Thorsten, which would mean a great deal of pain for him. As much as he feared and respected his headmaster he didn't feel like facing the wrath of a Veela should his secret be found.

"Indeed. Though I do not know how you obtained one, and don't worry, I do not mean to interrogate you about it, measures needs to be taken." Dumbledore said gravely, this was truly killing him but he knew that if Seamus had somehow managed to meet up with a Veela and come back alive there was no way he could tell the tale. Seamus lowered his head, a small wave of relief washing over him. At least Thorsten secret was safe, even if Seamus' future wasn't.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't mean to hurt anyone…" Dumbledore sighed,

"I know, my dear boy, I know." Dumbledore said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He hated having to do this, especially since technically no one was at harm and in fact most people were quite happy about the situation (except Hannah, for obvious reasons and Snape simply because he was a joyless bastard) but still, lines had to be set and it was his job to make sure they weren't crossed. "But things cannot continue the way they have." Seamus' head was still lowered and he nodded feebly. Why was this happening to him? Today of all days? Today was a day he was meant to spend with Oliver, relaxing and trying to convince himself he'd get through the damn play and all will be right after it was over, not a day to deal with _this_.

"Sir?" He asked meekly, biting his lip and bracing himself for the worst,

"You must reverse the Feather's effect." Seamus' body sagged, his hands which were clasped tight on his lap where turning white with the force he held them together were the only outer sign that he'd been listening. For a long moment the two sat silent, each trying to get the other to speak first. In the end it was Dumbledore who decided to spare his pupil, "I have here a reversal potion that will rid those affected by the spell of the Feather," He said quietly, pushing a small glass vial in Seamus' direction. The boy didn't lift his head to look, "You must open it in the changing room before the play, where all your friends will gather. The fumes from the potion will work as an antidote and all shall be reversed back to its original state."

All shall be reversed back to its original state, meaning Harry will go back to pursue Hannah with his clumsy and rather embarrassing-to-watch affection and stop trying to teach the entire school the joys of gay sex in the middle of meals and Ron will stop creeping Professor Flitwick out with his googly eyes. But at the same time it also meant that Oliver would be reversed to his original state, which was to shag Cedric. Seamus felt his eyes stinging at the thought, Oliver will go back to Cedric and he, Seamus would be left alone and loveless.

"Mr. Finnigan." Seamus jumped at the sound of his name, finally lifting his eyes to his headmaster. To his surprise the man looked almost as grave as he felt. "I'm sorry to put this burden on you my boy today of all days especially when I know how hard it is for you to walk upon the stage, but you must understand- tomorrow everyone will be heading home for the summer, or in the case of the people who's been dusted- for good and I cannot, in good conscience, let them walk out of Hogwarts gates still under the influence." Seamus looked at the vial, at the potion inside that looked like swirling fumes of red and pink. He could feel a tear sliding from his eyes, tickling its way on his cheek and he furiously wiped it away, but still said nothing. Dumbledore sighed, he really didn't want to resort to bribery but if the boy didn't show any signs of accepting his task and fulfilling it, he really didn't have much of a choice, "I'm afraid that if you don't do it yourself than I shall have to."

Seamus gulped. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't trust him enough without having a back-up plan, and for a moment he was tempted to ask Dumbledore to do it himself- take the potion and do what was necessary. But that would be cowardice, that would be running away from his responsibility and that was something that Seamus couldn't do. He'd made this mess and it was up to him to fix it- as much as he hated the thought. Standing up slowly he pocketed the potion, and gave his headmaster a single nod before leaving the room.

Seamus managed to make it as far as the lake before he slumped under an oak tree and brought his knees to his chest, shaking. The vial in his pocket seemed to weigh a tone and for a fleeting second Seamus had the urge to fling it into the sparkling surface of the water, let the giant squid do whatever he wanted with the potion.

He was going to lose Oliver. The only man he ever loved and wanted to be with, he was going to lose him, either by his own hands or, worse, by Dumbledore and then not only will he be alone, he'd be a disgrace. Dumbledore never said he'd put anything on Seamus' record should he fail to do his bidding but he will know, and Seamus will know and it will probably eat away at him for the rest of his life.

Maybe there was still salvation in the situation; maybe Oliver would still want him, minus the feather dust… Yeah right, and Harry and Draco will get married and have kids… Seamus banged his head forcefully backwards against the tree trunk, this was ridiculous! Oliver was a free person; he should love whoever he pleased, regardless of what Seamus wanted. Seamus' heart broke at the realization, but here it was- Oliver was never his to begin with. But that only made the idea of letting go of him so much harder.

Seamus stared at the lake; people were standing at its shore, talking, laughing, and playing games. It was like leisure Sunday in the park, his friends sitting on the grass in groups. As Seamus watched from the shade of the tree he was under, partly hidden from the masses he could see the tentative approaching of several Hogwarts students to the foreign ones and a slow mingle that was taking over both sides. This was good thing, this was what Dumbledore wanted, Seamus thought somewhat bitterly. The old man always got his way.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

"This is where you've been hiding all afternoon?" Seamus lifted his head, startled out of his thoughts. Oliver was looming over him, a worried smile on his face. Seamus rubbed his neck, feeling the stiffness of the muscles after hours of sitting on the same spot. "I've been looking for you." Seamus' heart skipped a beat, Oliver went looking for him, which meant that he cared, maybe even beyond the feather's influence… "It's time to get ready." But then again, maybe it was all for the sake of his precious play.

Seamus let the other man pull him to his feet, his legs quivering under him, knees rigid and unbending. He shook his legs trying to get the blood flowing again before the two started making their way towards the castle. Once inside Oliver led Seamus into the room behind the Great Hall which was turned into a dressing room for the cast for the night.

Seamus let Daphne Greengrass and Lavender Brown fuss over him with costume and make-up, feeling completely detached from the proceedings, watching with a kind of disinterest as the others chatted excitedly while they transformed into fairies and nobles. The five girls forming Titania's entourage were flocking about laughing, clad in sheer, glossy fabrics and sprinkling silver glitter on each other and everyone in their vicinity. Everyone seemed so excited, so happy, their eyes shining like jewels and their faces bright and Seamus just wanted to yell at them all to stop it! Stop being so merry when there were greater, far more important matters than a stupid play nobody really cared about! Stop laughing and rejoicing because every smile and every grin was piercing him like a spear and reminding him that he was about to lose the one thing he cared about most in the world! It was completely unfair.

Reaching into his pocket Seamus fingered the vial Dumbledore had given him. The old man's words were echoing through his mind- "If you don't do it yourself than I shall have to"… There was no way around this, was there? If Seamus didn't pluck up enough courage to face reality then Dumbledore will do it for him. Seamus nearly broke down with hysterical laughter, how on earth has his life turned this way?

Taking a deep breath he quickly marched over to the nearest table, pulled the vial from his pocket and then faltered. Could he really give up Oliver? Could he really do this? Even though it was the right thing to do and all, could he really give away his dreams like that? Seamus ventured a look at Oliver, who was standing with Pansy, trying to appease the shrieking girl who seemed enraged over something. But could he really keep holding on to Oliver like this? How was it fair to Oliver who didn't expect or wanted to fall in love with Seamus in the first place?

Clenching his jaw Seamus quickly pulled the stopper from the vial, almost throwing it on the table before he fled to the door. He's done what Dumbledore asked him to do, he did the right thing, but that didn't mean he'd have to stay there and watch the shine of love going dark and vanishing from Oliver's eyes. Seamus ran blindly, not knowing or caring where he was going until he reached the low fence, guarding Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and leaned against it.

Tears, hot and fat were trickling down his cheeks, and Seamus did nothing to wipe them away even though their salt was stinging at his nose. Bending over as if suffering from colic he let out a low moan. And then another, and another and slowly the volume increased until he was shouting his misery to the warm night sky, his broken cries swallowed by the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest. Oh, how he wished he'd never have met Thorsten, how he wished he'd never encountered that passage in the book about Love Potions… Seamus wished for so many things right now, but mostly he wished for Oliver to be there besides him holding him and telling him that everything was going to be alright. A soft hand was laid on his shoulder and Seamus nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning around he saw the worried face of Dean. Unable to summon any sense of dignity Seamus simply fell into his best friend's arms and sobbed. Dean, a little startled by the volume of emotions patted Seamus' back a little awkwardly.

"I can't do this… I can't do this…" Seamus mumbled his voice thick with tears. Dean sighed, he knew Seamus was suffering from stage fright but this was worst than he thought. Gently he prayed the Irishman's fingers from his shirt, holding him at arm's length so that he could look Seamus in the eye,

"Yes, you can, and you will. You've done this before…" Seamus shook his head,

"No, not like this, not in front of hundreds of people…" The sheer number was chocking him up; it was too much too soon. "And not with bloody wings!" He cried, reaching back and trying to catch the wings that were strapped to his back. Dean caught his flailing hand,

"Oi! Lay off the wings!" He cried, "I made those!" However silly and immature as the idea of wings sounded to Dean he was dead proud of the ones he designed and made for all the fairies and he'd be damned if his best friend of all people will ruin them, no matter how distressed he was!

"I can't do it." Seamus said hollowly, suddenly losing all his fighting spirit. He couldn't, he really couldn't. Going up on stage was one thing, going up without Oliver's support was… Unbearable. "They're just going to have to find someone else." Of course! It was so simple, how come he didn't think of it sooner?

"There's no one else. You don't have an understudy." Yeah, that was probably why…

"Why _is_ that?" He was the bloody lead for heaven's sake; shouldn't he at least enjoy the benefits of an understudy? What if he was sick? Or managed to injure himself during the final exams- after all, there wasn't a shortage of dangerous classes in Hogwarts! It was very irresponsible of Dumbledore and even Oliver not to provide him with suitable replacement! "Alright, then they'll just have to cancel the play. It's not like people paid good money to see any of us; they could just have the party and mingle without this stupid play!"

"Shay, what's wrong?" Dean could tell this was no longer about the play, Seamus was just venting out feelings through it. It was strange, because Seamus had been so happy and carefree and even confident not 24 hours ago and Dean was curious as to what brought upon this total nervous breakdown.

"I… I… fucked it up, real bad." Seamus whispered, slumping to the ground and leaning against the fence. Dean bit his lip in horror seeing the wings crushed against the wooden beams but he held himself back, knowing that Seamus needed support not reprimand but Merlin help him if Dean would be unable to fix the wings when they were done with their little emo moment, Seamus was going to be in quite a heap of trouble!

"Fucked what up?" He asked as he carefully sat down next to his friend, stealing a glance behind Seamus' back to assess the damage,

"The only thing that kept me going." Dean snapped his head in astonishment,

"What? Oliver?" Seamus nodded gloomily, his eyes smarting up again at the mention of the name, "That's daft! Oliver loves you!" Dean was honestly confused. This was about Oliver? The man who practically worshiped the ground Seamus walked on? Oliver whose face lit up every time he saw Seamus in a way that made even the very much heterosexual Dean feel the envy coiling in his gut?

"No, he doesn't. Not on his own." There was a sad smile on Seamus' face, which Dean didn't like one bit. It wasn't like Seamus to just give up; the man was notorious for his bloodhound qualities of never letting go until he got his way. Seamus giving up was… was scary. It was disheartening to the rest of them.

"I don't understand." Dean confessed lowly, feeling at his wit's end about this. Seamus was never a complex man, who tried to shroud everything in mystery- far from it and this evasiveness was making Dean nervous and worried. Seamus looked at his friend, his eyes brimming with regret,

"I did something, something I shouldn't have done. And now… I've lost him."

"Look, I'm sure that whatever you _think_ you did…" Seamus waved his hands wildly,

"Stop! Stop trying to make me feel better. I fucked up royally and now I'm paying the price, all right?" Dean nodded, defeated. "I think I need to be alone for a while, please?" As much as Dean wanted to give into his friend's wishes, right now was it was not a possibility,

"You can't. The play." Seamus racked his hands through his hair, messing up the hairdo that Lavender worked so hard over in the process,

"Damn it Dean, I told you I'm not going…"

"No!" Dean cried, raising to his knees and towering over his friend, "You listen to me now! Whatever you think you did to Oliver or anyone else doesn't matter now! We've worked too hard on this, you've worked too hard on this and you're not going to throw it all away! We're all a team and you're part of this and there's no way I'm letting you go off and sulk while we have to make excuses for you!" Seamus opened his mouth to protest but Dean thrust something in his face, "Here!"

"What is it?" Seamus asked meekly, a little startled by his friend's outburst. He looked at the vial of potion in wonder,

"It's a calming draught. I've got a couple more bottles in case this wears off before the play is over." Seamus looked up in astonishment. Dean really went to all the trouble of procuring enough calming draught for him to pass the play with? Seamus felt like crying again- he _was_ being a selfish arse! Dean, looking a little uncomfortable with the shine of tears tried to shrug it off, "Yeah, that's what friends do. Now are you going to go up there and do your bit or do I have to force you?" Seamus snorted,

"Force me? I'd like to see you try!" He cried challengingly, as Dean helped him to his feet, making a fuss over the wings and casting several charms to straighten them up,

"Hey, I play Quidditch, you play fairies. Do not make me go brute on your fairy arse!" Seamus slapped his hands away,

"Stop saying fairy!" He snapped as they made their way back towards the castle, Dean hovering close in case Seamus was faking it and tried to make a run for it,

"Fairy."

"Wanker." Dean laughed, glad to see that Seamus was in a better mood and the dark clouds were dispersing. No one liked a gloomy Seamus, it was just wrong. Upon arriving at the door to the dressing room Seamus stopped, and taking a deep breath he donned the calming draught in one go, grimacing slightly at the taste.

"Go. Go and make us all proud. Make Oliver proud." Dean said somberly and Seamus sagged,

"Oh, crap. I hate these melodramatic moments… Now I feel obligated…" Dean winked,

"I know." Seamus pulled a face at him,

"Tosser." Dean blew him a raspberry kiss, as he pushed Seamus through the door,

"Go, and be the best fairy you can." Seamus wriggled his shoulder blades, causing the wings to shake a little and tossed behind his shoulder,

"Aren't I always?" Dean laughter followed him through the door and Seamus felt like he was floating.

This calming draught was amazing! Gone was the anxiety and the fear, gone were the doubts and self-loathing. In fact, Seamus surmised, he couldn't feel much of anything- which right now was the way he preferred it. He let Lavender fuss over his hair and ruined make-up, clicking her tongue at the state of him. He couldn't see Oliver anywhere, but he could hear the voices of his friends already reciting their opening words. Seamus closed his eyes and took a deep breath; gentle hands were guiding him towards the stage's wings. Seamus let Dean shove him onto the stage, with almost no resistance at all.

"How now, spirit! Whither wander you?"


	8. Chapter 8

**For story info, see chapter one.**

**F is for Feathers, Fairies and Flaming Homos-**

**Chapter Eight**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**Take pains; be perfect: Adieu.**

**(Bottom, act I, scene II)**

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

"So, good night unto you all.  
Give me your hands, if we be friends,  
And Robin shall restore amends."

The curtain fell before Seamus' eyes, hiding the crowd and he blinked. It was over. It was really, really over! From behind the heavy crimson velvet he could hear the roar of the crowd but none of it sank in yet. Someone was guiding him away from the stage; Seamus didn't even know who as he took down the steps leading to the wings.

He felt as if he was floating, none of it seemed real. All Seamus cared about was the fact that the play was over and he'd never have to do something like that again! He couldn't really indentify the feeling inside him, was it relief, or maybe it was something deeper, more powerful like… euphoria?

"Seamus, you're up!" Someone whispered to him and Seamus suddenly panicked, up?

"What?"

"Curtain calls!" Hands were pushing him towards the stage again and Seamus wanted to fight them. He had just left the stage, why did he have to go back up there? All the people were still there! He could hear them!

Ahead of him, on the stage, he could see the rest of his friends, standing there with wide smiles and urging him on with wide hand gestures. Seamus stumbled upon the stage and the cheers from the crowd became almost deafening. He stood there, shocked beyond action, just looking at them. From behind him he could hear his friends cheering as well and it suddenly dawned on him- these people were all cheering for _him_! Feeling very self conscious and awkward Seamus took a step forward and bowed stiffly to the crowd. He could see people rising to their feet, shouting and clapping and whistling and he was suddenly so overwhelmed with it he felt like crying.

Giving the audience another bow, Seamus turned and gestured to his friends, suddenly reluctant to get all the praise himself. The rest of the cast rushed over, hugging each other and laughing and cheering back at the crowd. Seamus smiled, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment and pride. It was hard, it was so bloody hard for him, this whole year of rehearsals and angst over going on on stage and now that it was over and done with, it felt like he was filled with hot light air instead of the lead from before and right there, on the stage with all the audience applauding him Seamus felt like he could fly.

The seventh year students stayed on the stage until the curtains closed, and the people on the other side of it started making their way towards the exit, heading for the Quidditch pitch where the big end of the year party was scheduled. The cast members spilled into the dressing room, still chatting excitedly and riding the waves of their own success. Seamus let them sweep him along, his own happiness sipping away now that the adrenaline rush and the calming draught were leaving his system. Because after the rush will be over all that was going to be left will be the reality of losing Oliver and Seamus fought real hard to hold on to the last tendrils of joy.

Sitting at a nearby make-up table he watched the rest as they got out of their costumes and took the greasepaint off their faces. He watched, rather amused, as Ron dropped to his knees in front of Lavender, pleading with her to take him back, telling her that he didn't know what came over him but he swears that she's the only one he's ever loved.

Seamus felt heartened to see Harry approaching Hannah timidly, holding out to her the 'Love in Idleness'- their prop flower. Hannah blushed, and Seamus realized this was the first time since Harry set his eyes on the girl that he wasn't fumbling with words and making a complete fool of himself. In fact, the two didn't exchange a single word as Harry took Hannah's hand and with a huge smile plastered on his face led her out of the dressing room.

Draco watched the two leave, a sour expression on his face until a gentle hand rested upon his shoulder. Turning around he saw the sultry smile of Magen Jones, his Hermia and he took her hand in his and kissed it. Seamus could tell by the sparks that were flying between the two that they were not heading anywhere near the Quidditch pitch.

Seamus watched as the rest of his colleagues drifted out, in small groups, all heading to reap their glory from their adoring fans. He noted with a grim smile that Hermione and Pansy seemed just as strong a couple as before. And soon the room emptied and he was left alone.

Taking his time, as he had no intention of going to the party Seamus stripped off his costume, shedding everything that was making him Puck to remain only in trousers and a white T-Shirt. After carefully stowing away his costume, knowing that if Dean found out he's been tossing it around carelessly there will be hell to pay, he sat down in front of the mirror again, locating a sponge and some make-up removal potion and started to swipe the sponge over his face, taking some odd satisfaction at the way his face seemed to emerge from under their mask.

Suddenly a nose was nuzzling into the junction of his shoulder and arm and Seamus almost leaped out of his skin. He certainly jumped up, upsetting the bottle of make-up removal potion and spilling its contents all over the table. Turning around quickly he saw Oliver crouching behind his chair, his eyes bright and a smile on his face. Seamus could feel his heart trying to burst out of his chest, but whether out of surprise or excitement he wasn't sure.

"You were brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." Oliver said happily, leaning forward to catch Seamus' lips in a congratulatory kiss. Seamus was too stunned and too happy to stop the older man and simply melted into the kiss. If this was a dream he did not want to wake up from it! When they surfaced back for air Seamus ran his hand over Oliver's face, hoping that if he felt real, then he must _be_ real.

"Aren't you…" Seamus gulped, if Oliver was here and kissing him that meant Dumbledore's potion didn't work, which meant Seamus didn't fulfill his duty. Even after he did everything the old man wanted Seamus was still not in the clear, it wasn't fair. "Shouldn't you be with… Cedric?" He practically spat out the name, as if it was going to soil his mouth. Oliver shrugged,

"Why would I want to do that?" He frowned, as if Seamus' question was completely ridiculous. Oliver knew that Seamus knew about his little 'dabbling' with Cedric but he never thought Seamus would think it was serious, especially when it was just 'a little fun'- it wasn't Oliver's fault the rest of the Hogwarts faculty were so old you could hear the crackling of their bones when they walked by… "Besides, Cedric's hooked up with one of French boys form Beauxbatons School. He's probably not going to be leaving his rooms for days." He added with a wink, which made Seamus shiver with disgust.

"But…" He blinked, completely lost. Oliver smiled again, dropping a little kiss on Seamus' nose,

"You're so cute when you're baffled." Seamus blushed a little, still feeling awkward about receiving compliments.

"I'm so sorry." He muttered before sealing his lips to Oliver's, kissing him again, simply because he could.

"Sorry for what?" Seamus could tell Oliver was genuinely perplexed and frankly, he couldn't blame him.

"I thought the fumes cured you, I thought that…" You wouldn't want me. Seamus couldn't find the strength to utter the words. A flash of understanding crossed Oliver's eyes and he smiled,

"You didn't read the second page, did you?" Seamus blinked,

"Huh?"

"The second page of the Veela Feather text." Oliver explained and Seamus' jaw dropped in shock,

"You know about the Veela Feather?" Wait, if Oliver knew about the feather then why did he pretend he was in love with Seamus all this time?

"Come on, Shay, you're hardly the first to come across that text. In fact, it's pretty safe to say that about half of Hogwarts population had found that book and fantasized about getting their hands on a Veela Feather to make their dreams come true." Seamus gawked at him, completely shocked, his mind was completely blank, "Though I must say I never heard of anyone actually getting their hands on one, you are a very special person." Seamus blushed again, and tried to shrug,

"It wasn't that hard…" Oliver sniggered, his eyebrows going up in disbelief. Seamus cleared his throat, "So, what was on the second page?" Why didn't he read the second page in the first place? Why did he have to be so Gryffindor and think he had all the answers when he didn't have all the information?

"The second page explained that if the person dusted with the feather is already in love with the one they set eyes upon then the feather has no effect on them." Seamus nodded slowly,

"Oh… Wait! That means?" Oliver nodded and smiled again and for the first time since he walked up to Dumbledore's office Seamus felt his heart sore. With a happy cry he tackled Oliver to the floor, landing heavily on the laughing Scotsman and not giving him a chance to recover before he attacked his lips.

"You really were in love with me?" He asked breathlessly as he nuzzled Oliver's warm skin, his face buried in his collarbone. Oliver grinned, pulling Seamus' head up so that he could look into those smoky blue eyes,

"Am. I _am_ in love with you." Seamus lowered his head again, feeling his whole head flaming again. This was too… intense, too unreal… Oh, good gods what if Dean laced his calming draught with some vision inducing potion by mistake? But what if he didn't… Could it be that Oliver was actually meaning what he was saying? Could it be true that the feather had no effect on him? Seamus placed his head on Oliver's chest, taking comfort in the steady heartbeat under his ear and finally letting hope shine through. "I'm just glad that you won't look so guilty now every time I pay you a compliment." Seamus blushed again, this was really embarrassing. But he tried to ignore the feeling of self consciousness and let Oliver's hand in his hair take away all the negative and insecure thoughts until Oliver started fidgeting under him. Seamus looked up and Oliver smiled apologetically, "The floor is really hard…"

Grinning, Seamus pulled himself up and sat on the floor, allowing Oliver to do the same. The two looked at each other for a long moment, not entirely sure how to proceed. Seamus' head was buzzing with questions but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answers- at least not right now.

"Did you really fancy me all along?" He eventually asked timidly, even though Oliver already told him that he was Seamus just wanted to hear the words again.

"Of course. Why do you think I insisted you not bail the play?" Seamus' jaw dropped, wait a minute!

"Oh my gods, you _did_ check out my arse at the audition!" Oliver shrugged, not bothering to deny, "You gave me the part because you coveted my arse!" Which was actually a really neat compliment! But it also means that the Weasleys were right and he didn't get his part fair and square… Damn!

"I didn't give you the part because you have a great arse; I gave you the part because you were the best for it." Oliver stated firmly, a little miffed of being accused of fixing the casting on account of a gorgeous romp. "This," He added, patting Seamus' bum affectionately, "Was just an added bonus." Seamus ducked his head, grinning and blushing- all this talk about his arse was making him feel weird.

"Whatever it was, I'm glad it's now over and done with!" He declared happily, once he was back in control over his facial features, "No more acting for me!" He stated, crossing his arms over his chest to emphases his point. Oliver looked pensive at that,

"Funny you should say that…" Seamus' arms fell to his sides as horror started to fill his body again,

"What are you saying?" He asked cautiously, and Oliver shrugged, it was far too good an opportunity to miss even if it meant he might be denied of sex for a while when Seamus will find out his leg's been pulled but the look on Seamus' face would be well worth it,

"It's just that, in light of tonight's smashing success Dumbledore decided that we are to take our little show on the road and perform throughout the summer around Europe." Oliver smiled brightly at his boyfriend, who upon hearing the words gave a faint smile. Oliver didn't even have time to reach for the young man as his eyes rolled backwards.

Seamus fainted.

…**~o0o~…~o0o~…~o0o~…**

**THE END**

**A/N:** So, all well ends well. I hope you liked this little challenge/homage and I hope to see you again in another story.

I'm sorry I didn't get back at Ginny for being a complete bitch, I just forgot about her… sorry…

So good night unto you all.

Adieu.

Lilyyuri.


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